Theegala fires 65, takes early lead in weather-delayed Phoenix Open
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Sahith Theegala spent time with his parents in the players’ dining room and grabbed a bite to eat during what ended up being a long weather delay.
With no room to sit in the clubhouse at TPC Scottsdale, Theegala went out to his car to get warm, listen to music and play chess on his phone.
The break did nothing to slow him down.
Theegala returned to birdie his first hole following the delay, shooting a 6-under 65 to take the early lead in the unfinished first round of the Phoenix Open on Thursday.
“The weather was, it was not good, (but) those last four holes felt great, so I think there might be some good scores (Friday) with the wave that just teed off,” Theegala said. “It’s going to be cold, but hopefully no rain and wind. We’ll see. I played great and that’s all I can do, really.”
Five days after weather shortened the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to 54 holes, storms followed the PGA Tour to the desert.
A chilly morning gave way to wind and heavy rain that left pools of water on the greens at TPC Scottsdale. The Stadium Course was deemed unplayable around noon, leading to a delay of 3 1/2 hours.
About half the field was able to finish following the delay, leaving the rest to return Friday morning to resume their first rounds.
Theegala returned to sink an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-4 sixth hole and closed with two pars. His closest pursuer was Andrew Novak, who was 5 under through nine holes.
S.H. Kim eagled the par-5 13th and got to 6 under with consecutive birdies starting on No. 5, but closed with two bogeys to shoot 67, matching Shane Lowry. Jordan Spieth shot 68.
Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler was 1 under through six holes in his bid to become the first PGA Tour player to win the same tournament three straight times since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic from 2009-11.
“I was surprised at how many fans were out here when it was raining sideways and blowing 20, and freezing,” Theegala said.
Early in the round, Lucas Glover was forced to withdraw after missing his tee time.
Glover told the Golf Channel he misread a text with his tee time, which was scheduled for 8:26 a.m. local time. Glover said he was in his hotel room when a Phoenix Open official called to say he had one minute before his tee time.
“I’m kicking myself but laughing at myself at the same time,” the 2009 U.S. Open champion told the network.
First alternate Ryo Hisatsune replaced Glover in the field.