Sahith Theegala opens with strong first round at PGA
India-American Sahith Theegala produced a composed two-under-par 68 to place himself firmly in contention at the close of a demanding first round at the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club here.
On a day when scoring proved difficult and several elite names faltered, Theegala’s disciplined opening round stood out well.
The leaderboard is crowded and dangerous. Defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler finished among a seven-way tie for the lead at three-under 67, joined by Martin Kaymer, Min Woo Lee, Stephan Jaeger, Ryo Hisatsune, Alex Smalley and rising South African star Aldrich Potgieter.
Theegala balanced creativity with restraint in a round that had one bogey and three birdies and was among the better iron players in the field.
For the first time in a men’s major, four players of Indian heritage — Theegala, Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai and Sudarshan Yellamaraju — are competing together in the same field.
Among them, Theegala entered the week carrying perhaps the highest expectations. The California-born golfer of Telugu heritage has become one of the PGA Tour’s most popular personalities because of his fearless style and authenticity.
Since turning professional in 2020, he has steadily matured into a genuine contender in elite events, highlighted by his breakthrough PGA Tour victory at the 2023 Fortinet Championship and several high other high finishes.
Theegala, who is sponsored by India’s Hero MotoCorp, said, “It’s a major championship. It’s been a while since I’ve been healthy for once, so it’s nice to get kicked around a lot. Like I said, tomorrow’s a new day. Who knows, it might kick me really bad.
“Yeah, I really enjoyed the pins. It’s a different challenge. So I feel like I’m operating at a hundred percent, and for better or for worse, if I feel like I have a shot at it.”
He added, “I am very pleased with my opening round. It played tough out there. It played a lot tougher than I thought it would.
“We kind of expected it would be tough with just enough breeze to make it a nuisance. Then obviously it was chilly. I’m usually one of the guys that takes their jacket off pretty early, and I left it on all round.”
Scheffler once again looked like the tournament’s central figure. The defending PGA champion hit fairways with relentless consistency and appeared unfazed by difficult pin positions.
Analysts already regard him as the player to beat after another controlled major performance. He shot 67 and was one of the seven co-leaders.
In contrast, Rory McIlroy endured a frustrating day. Entering the championship after another Masters triumph earlier this season, McIlroy struggled badly with both driving accuracy and his putting.
A closing stretch filled with bogeys left him at four-over-par 74, seven shots behind the leaders, and in T-105, needing a low second round to make the cut.
For Indian-origin golf fans, the spotlight extends beyond Theegala. Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai and Sudarshan Yellamaraju also provided encouraging moments, although they finished further down the leaderboard.
Rai had an action-packed round with five birdies and five bogeys in an even par 70 and was T-34, while Bhatia, one of the PGA Tour’s fastest-rising young stars, battled inconsistency off the tee but remained within reach of the cut line after a 1-over 71 despite a birdie-birdie start and three birdies in first nine holes.
He, however, finished with four bogeys in last six holes and was T-49.
Yellamaraju, the Indian-born Canadian rookie, making his PGA Championship debut, shot 75 and needs a very low second round to make the cut. He was T-120.
Several other marquee players remain within striking distance. Jon Rahm (69) was T-15 and produced one of the shots of the day with a spectacular hole-out eagle and finished under par despite occasional volatility.
Jordan Spieth (69), still chasing the career Grand Slam, showed flashes of brilliance before late bogeys slowed his momentum but was also T-15.
Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau suffered one of the toughest rounds among the favourites, posting a six-over 76 and leaving himself with significant ground to recover.
