Photo by: Fortinet Championship
Theegala Wins on PGA Tour
9/18/2023 3:49:00 PM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine alum Sahith Theegala captured his first career PGA Tour win at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California over the weekend, becoming the third Wave in program history to achieve the feat.
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Pepperdine alumni who have won on the PGA Tour include Jason Gore at the 84 Lumber Classic in 2005 and Andrew Putnam at the Barracuda Championship in 2018. Theegala finished 21-under 267 (68-64-67-68), which tied the tournament record set by Stewart Cink two years ago.Â
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Over the weekend, the Chino Hills, Calif. native had over three dozen family members and friends following him at the Fortinet Championship held at the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa. He started out with a 4-under 68 in the first round, before dominating the field with an 8-under 64 to sit tied with eventual runner-up S.H. Kim after the second. The Pepperdine alumnus stayed composed for a five-under 67 in the third round to give himself a two-stroke lead heading into Championship Sunday.Â
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He posted four birdies on the front nine, pulling to a five-shot lead before the turn. He had a bogey on the sixth hole and another pair on the back nine, but three more birdies in his final seven holes kept him in the lead en route to another 4-under 68 and the Fortinet Championship victory by two strokes.
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Theegala has charted 74 starts on the Tour and made 57 cuts. He has finished in the top-10 on 13 occasions and top-five eight times. Though this is Theegala's first win, he had finished in a tie for second-place at The RSM Classic last November. In December of last year, he also won the QBE Shootout – a paired event alongside teammate Tom Hoge.
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While at Pepperdine, Theegala garnered Pepperdine's first-ever National Player of the Year accolade and was the third three-time All-American honoree in program history. In his final season with the Waves, he won the Fred Haskins Award, Ben Hogan Award and Jack Nicklaus award, sweeping all major National Player of the Year honors in 2020. In four seasons, Theegala ended with the best scoring average (70.61) in Pepperdine history.
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Pepperdine alumni who have won on the PGA Tour include Jason Gore at the 84 Lumber Classic in 2005 and Andrew Putnam at the Barracuda Championship in 2018. Theegala finished 21-under 267 (68-64-67-68), which tied the tournament record set by Stewart Cink two years ago.Â
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Over the weekend, the Chino Hills, Calif. native had over three dozen family members and friends following him at the Fortinet Championship held at the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa. He started out with a 4-under 68 in the first round, before dominating the field with an 8-under 64 to sit tied with eventual runner-up S.H. Kim after the second. The Pepperdine alumnus stayed composed for a five-under 67 in the third round to give himself a two-stroke lead heading into Championship Sunday.Â
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He posted four birdies on the front nine, pulling to a five-shot lead before the turn. He had a bogey on the sixth hole and another pair on the back nine, but three more birdies in his final seven holes kept him in the lead en route to another 4-under 68 and the Fortinet Championship victory by two strokes.
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Theegala has charted 74 starts on the Tour and made 57 cuts. He has finished in the top-10 on 13 occasions and top-five eight times. Though this is Theegala's first win, he had finished in a tie for second-place at The RSM Classic last November. In December of last year, he also won the QBE Shootout – a paired event alongside teammate Tom Hoge.
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While at Pepperdine, Theegala garnered Pepperdine's first-ever National Player of the Year accolade and was the third three-time All-American honoree in program history. In his final season with the Waves, he won the Fred Haskins Award, Ben Hogan Award and Jack Nicklaus award, sweeping all major National Player of the Year honors in 2020. In four seasons, Theegala ended with the best scoring average (70.61) in Pepperdine history.
