The Sahith Theegala bandwagon’s been chugging for a little while now.
His sui generis swing, easy-going demeanor and boisterous cheering section jumped off the screen.
Theegala’s presence is infectious, his warmth palpable.
Watch him a few times on TV and you feel like you’ve known him for years.
But it’s a golf swing that works, and always has.
I remember my first exposure to Theegala.
He was dominating all the older kids and I made a point to look for him the following day.
He was the same height he is today.
If anything, a bit skinnier, but he already had the big-man swagger he carries to this day.
He won that week, and I kept loose tabs on him his first few years at Pepperdine.
He continued to progress until a wrist injury killed his junior season.
Mainly: his dream car, a BMW he purchased in late 2022 with his own money.
Shortly after buying the car he broke down in tears while driving to a tournament.
“Things were just going, like too good.
And it was a moment of like, dude, life’s good right now.
We romanticize the notion of the never-satisfied athlete.
The nice guy finished first.
Adding to Theegala’s appeal is his homemade-ass golf game.
It works for Theegala’s spine because he has 18 degrees of scoliosis in his spine.
It’d actually hurt a lot worse if he tried to maintain Adam Scott-like posture.
Despite the unorthodox move he can shape the ball both ways and loves to move it around.
In fact, he’s never hit balls on a launch monitor before a round of golf.
He sees shots and he hits them.
It’s art over science, and it’s caught the eye of his fellow tour pros.
“Dirty…he kind of plays like Bubba.”
The shot of the week for my money was a punch-hook through a narrow opening that was positively Bubba-esque.
That gave the PGA Tour and Golf Channel full license to go absolutely HAM on the family angle.
It might’ve gone a touch too far if we’re being honest.
Two posts, and maybe a broadcast segment or two?
The PGA Tour’s official X account posted 13 times just about Theegala’s family on Sunday alone.
But man..asking every person in his gallery to describe him in one word?
29 in the world rankings.
“Just a lot of work that was put in and a lot of people that were behind this.
It’s just golf is really, really hard.
Yeah, my first thought is just like, it feels like such a team win.
JT’s now gone T12-5th in his last two starts and all systems are a go leading into Rome.
“It’s frustrating but wild at the same time.
What’s more: the vast majority of them played well.
All 12 guys made the cut, and nine finished T18 or better.
They’re all in their physical prime and they’re all playing exceptional golf.
They’re flying high with confidence.
He was pumped after the win about a trip he now gets to take in April.
Stewart Hagestad keeps on winning
He lives a one-of-a-kind life, and he knows it.
Stewart Hagestad is the world’s best amateur golfer who does not plan to become a professional golfer.
That win got him into the 2017 Masters, where he finished as the low amateur.
Then he made the Walker Cup team.
Then he made another Walker Cup team.
Then he won another Mid-Am.
Then he made another Walker Cup team.
This was supposed to be his last hurrah at the elite level of the amateur game.
Hagestad returned to U.S. soil for the Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow just north of New York City.
(He’ll also get in to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst next year).
How, then is it possible?
Hagestad has a unique set of circumstances.
He has never shied away from this.
He grew up in a well-to-do family and holds memberships at some pretty swanky clubs.
He graduated from USC’s MBA program last summer and has started work at BDT&MSD partners.
Hagestad was back in the NYC office on Monday morning after winning the mid-am on Friday.
Thats possible because of a financial safety net most do not have.
He practices a ton, and it’s not a rhythm he wants to continue forever.
The last two years I was in school.
Before that, I would work for eight months and then play for four.
I gave up promotions and pay bumps.
I had a unique opportunity, and I took it.
That’s a perfect summary of Hagestad’s golf career.
Very, very few people have that opportunity, but simply having it does not guarantee success.
Competitive golf is the ultimate meritocracy, and no one handed him any of the trophies he now owns.
He works on his game before and after work.
Elsewhere
Funny stuff here.
No, they do not.
Of course there are.
Even if it’s not as much as we might’ve hoped.
They were the huge favorites in Ohio and they were beaten on home turf.
Vegas has the odds almost exactly even.
Sticking with the team-golf vibes…the Writer Cup debuts this week.
The Fore Play crew was there.
It was an unbelievable time, and the content’s going to be incredible.
Watch on theBarstool Sports YouTubechannel after the Yak all this week and next.
He’s everywhere in golf, which is why this meme is so funny to nerds like me.
The Telegraph’s James Corriganreported the story.
333 golfer in the world.
Now, would he still get consideration for a pick (if eligible) given his history?
Until next week,
Dan
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