Theegala leads by 1 in crowded Phoenix finale
Sam Ryder brought down the house with a hole-in-one on the stadium 16th hole Saturday in the WM Phoenix Open, where newcomer Sahith Theegala topped a leaderboard as crowded as the course.
Ryder’s wedge shot on the 124-yard hole landed just right and short, bounced a couple of times, spun left and tumbled in. The rowdy fans on the 17,000-seat hole threw drinks in the air in celebration and littered the turf with bottles, cans and cups, leading to about a 15-minute delay.
“I don’t know how I could pick a hole over this one,” said Ryder, eight strokes behind Theegala after an even-par 71. “I don’t think there’s any hole that has the electricity that this one has.”
Ryder’s first tour ace was the 10th at No. 16 since the tournament moved to the course in 1997 and first since Francesco Molinari in the third round in 2015. Tiger Woods did it in 1997 before grandstands ringed the hole.
With around 200,000 fans packing firm and fast TPC Scottsdale on another sunny, 80-degree day in the Valley of the Sun, Theegala overcame a double bogey on the par-4 second to shoot a 69.
“What a day,” Theegala said. “So many ups and downs. I mean, it was wild.”
Making his event debut on a sponsor exemption,
Theegala had a 14-under 199 total for a one-stroke lead over defending champion Brooks Koepka. FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Talor Gooch were another stroke back.
“I’m really exhausted right now,” Theegala said. “Probably, I hit it in the desert five times. I got my ball stepped on twice, got my ball picked up twice. Very draining, for sure.”
Theegala is trying to become the first player to win on a sponsor exemption since Martin Laird in the 2020 Shriners Children’s Open. The 24year-old Indian-American grew up in Chino Hills, California, and starred at Pepperdine. In 2020, he swept the three major college player of the year awards.
He’s playing for the fifth straight week, with his parents and some family members attending the last four in California and Arizona.
After hitting the lip of a fairway bunker en route to the double bogey on No. 2, Theegala rallied with birdies on Nos. 6, 7 and 8. He dropped a shot on the 11th, birdied the par-5 13th and holed a 15-footer on the par-4 17th.
“Obviously, really bad start and proud of the way I fought back there,” Theegala said. “But still trying to take it all in. There’s just so much going on there, too.
Which is a good thing. I really enjoyed the fans out there.”
Koepka had a 68. The four-time major champion is the last player to win the event in his first appearance, doing it in 2015.
Scheffler flirted with his second 59 before settling for a 62. Seeking his first tour victory, he began the day nine strokes behind Theegala.
Scheffler played his first nine in 7-under 27, and added two birdies on his second nine. He was the last player on the tour to shoot 59, doing it in the 2020 Northern Trust. Jim Furyk is the only player to break 60 twice in the
PGA Tour, shooting 58 and 59. The fourthranked Cantlay, also making his first start in the event, had a 68. Gooch birdied the last three holes for a 67.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Ryan Fox will take a six-shot lead into the final round of the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as he goes in search of his first win on the European tour.
The 211th-ranked New Zealander shot 7-under 65 in the third round for a 54-hole total of 19-under 197.
Pablo Larrazabal
Adri Arnaus (66), Adrian Meronk (64) and Scott Jamieson (65) are tied for second place at Al Hamra Golf Club, the latest stop on the tour’s “Desert Swing.”
VIC OPEN
(68),
Former U.S. Women’s PGA champion Hannah Green shot a 4-under 68 and increased her lead to five strokes after three rounds of the Vic Open in Barwon Heads, Australia.
Green, who won the Women’s PGA Championship on the LPGA Tour in 2019 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, had a 12-under par total of 205 at the 13th Beach Golf Links.
Karis Davidson (68) and Whitney Hillier (75) were tied for second.
The Vic Open features a men’s and women’s tournament in mixed groups.
In the men’s event,
John Lyras maintained his tournament-long lead with a 70 and a threeround total of 16-under 200. Fellow Australian
Dimitrios Papadatos was a stroke behind after a 68, and four players were tied for third, two behind Lyras.