Episode 4 of the PING Proving Grounds Podcast Features PGA Tour Player Sahith Theegala
Shane Bacon and Marty Jertson enlighten us once again on the PING Proving Grounds Podcast and this time they are joined by PGA Tour player Sahith Theegala. Theegala joined the tour in 2022 and has quickly gained a lot of attention as he is a young rising star. In this podcast, he talks about his golf journey throughout his youth, college, and professional careers.
Youth Golf
As a kid, Theegala won three Junior Worlds, all under the age of ten. The only person who has won more Junior Worlds was Tiger Woods. Despite having such a prestigious resume at a young age, Theegala lacked confidence in his game. He felt that his success came from the simple fact that he was bigger than all the other kids. As he entered his high school golf career other kids hit their growth spurt and saw huge improvements in their game. While Theegala was still improving, it just was not at the same rate as his peers and soon he was no longer the standout golfer he once was. He claims he was not even a good recruit coming out of high school, despite this he moved on to a Division 1 collegiate golf career at Pepperdine University.
Collegiate Career
Before attending Pepperdine, Theegala was looking at some big schools but decided against them because he would essentially be walking on. He says that Pepperdine was a blessing for him and one of the deciding factors was that he would get to start right away at Pepperdine. His college career was a step in the right direction and helped him break out of the slump he fell into in high school. Theegala took his fitness to a new level in college as he had never worked out in his life before college. He shares what it was like learning basic workouts as a college athlete and how it helped him keep his body in shape and prevent injuries. He once again found success in his golf career though he was still not confident in his talents, questioning if he was worthy of playing at the next level.
Sahith Theegala Joins the PGA Tour
Sahith Theegala went pro in golf in 2020 but did not join the PGA Tour until 2022. When he went pro he join the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental tour where the best players are awarded cards to join the PGA Tour. Theegala excelled in Korn Ferry and was then able to join the PGA Tour in 2022. Since joining the Tour he has played 68 events, had 12 top ten finishes, 7 top 5 finishes, one third-place finish, and two runner-up finishes. He is still chasing his first win though his future is promising as he is one of the tour’s young rising stars.
The PING Podcast release another fascinating episode that goes dives in depth to the world of golf. This fourth iteration of the podcast is unique as it was the first episode featuring a tour player, though there will likely be more in the future. If you want to hear more about Sahith Theegala, listen to the full podcast episode HERE.
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