Before they turned pro: Sahith Theegala

September 17, 2023 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine Athletics Photo)

The fan-favorite and PGA Tour winner found new fame this year when he was featured in the Netflix documentary "Full Swing."

Sahith Theegala's rise to PGA Tour fame has been well documented.

The 25-year-old was featured in the popular Netflix Documentary "Full Swing" and was one of the hits of the show, with fans getting an inside look into his life as a rising PGA Tour player and his journey to the professional golf world.

And now Theegala can call himself something he wasn't when the documentary was filmed. A PGA Tour winner.

From seeing his relationship with his parents, his emotional response to coming up just short at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open after getting in with a sponsor exemption, and the way he cheered on his fellow PGA Tour members at events he did not play at, Theegala became an incredibly popular face amongst the young stars.

We first saw him in the 2014 Los Angeles City Amateur, when he blew away the field as a 16-year-old. He was an AmateurGolf.com member for 5 years and played in our AG San Diego Amateur. Since then, he has continued to climb the ladder and appears to be well on his way to establishing himself as the next young PGA Tour pro to fulfill the promise he showed as an amateur golfer.

Theegala put together a storied collegiate career.

He was Pepperdine’s first National Player of the Year and its third three-time All-American.

In four playing seasons over five years, he ended with the best scoring average at 70.61 in Pepperdine history and also set the Pepperdine career record for below-par rounds at 74 and tied the records for wins at four and top-20 finishes at 36.

He finished sixth in top-10 finishes with 19 and played in 46 career tournaments and 134 rounds, and was a Four-time All-Region and three-time All-WCC first team.

In his final year at Pepperdine, Theegala won the Southwestern Invitational, the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, and the Australian Master of the Amateurs.

He has had some close calls on the PGA Tour over the past couple of seasons but had yet to get the job done before Sunday.

He finished third at the WM Phoenix Open. He finished seventh at the Valspar Championship. In June 2022, Theegala tied for second in the Travelers Championship. At the end of the 2021–22 season, Theegala made the Tour Championship by finishing in the top 30.

Theegala opened his 2022–23 season with a top-10 finish at the Fortinet Championship. He tied for second at the RSM Classic, two shots behind winner Adam Svensson. He continued his season with a tied-for-sixth finish at the Genesis Invitational.

The Sahith Theegala File
Born: December 4, 1997
Parents: Son of Karuna and Muralidhar Theegala
Residence: Houston, Tex.

Amateur Victories
2010 Future Masters 1
2011 Junior All-Star at Robinson Ranch
2012 Presidents Boys Cup
2014 Los Angeles City Championship
2017 Southwestern Invitational, Sahalee Players Championship
2018 Waves Challenge
2019 SCGA Amateur Championship, Alister MacKenzie Invitational
2020 Australian Master of the Amateurs, Southwestern Invitational

International Competition
2018 Arnold Palmer Cup

Here are a few of the stories from our coverage of Sahith Theegala the amateur:

Sahith Theegala makes it three with Jack Nicklaus Award win
Jul 08, 2020 - With the win, Theegala completes the sweep of collegiate golf's three most prestigious awards
Sahith Theegala wins the Ben Hogan Award
Jun 09, 2020 - The Pepperdine senior closes his amateur career by being named the nation's top collegiate and amateur golfer
After long road to recovery, Theegala goes out on top
May 15, 2020 - One year ago, Sahith Theegala couldn't even take a full swing; now the awards are coming in like a Wave
Sahith Theegala of Pepperdine wins the Haskins Award
May 09, 2020 - The redshirt senior overcame injury to lead the Waves to the No. 1 ranking
Three Hogan Award Finalists Named
Apr 21, 2020 - Sahith Theegala, Ricky Castillo, and John Augenstein are up for the award recognizing performance in collegiate and amateur golf
Wearing a Kobe jersey, Theegala wins the Southwestern Invite
Jan 28, 2020 - Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala dons the jersey of his boyhood hero, who tragically died two days before
Master of the Amateurs: Sahith Theegala wins by 4
Jan 10, 2020 - After a wild front nine, Theegala wins the Australian title by while Alyaa Abdulghany wins the women's championship
Pepperdine gets first fall victory at Alister MacKenzie Invite
Oct 08, 2019 - Redshirt senior Sahith Theegala led his team to a 16-shot victory in the Waves' fourth start this season.
Theegala's comeback summer continues with SCGA Amateur win
Jul 14, 2019 - He's back. Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala won at Lakeside GC with a thrilling final-round 65.
Theegala returns, with surprisingly little rust, at Sunnehanna
Jun 13, 2019 - Sahith Theegala spent the past 10 months recovering from a wrist injury. Now at 100 percent, he's picking up where he left off.
Theegala Wins the Waves Challenge by 16 Shots
Jan 31, 2018 - Sahith Theegala of Pepperdine shot 11 under in a tournament where the average score was over 79
Theegala Survives to Win the Sahalee Players in a Playoff
Jul 07, 2017 - Theegala loses a four shot lead with a final-round 78 but fends off Min Woo Lee with a birdie on the first playoff hole
Sahith Theegala named February SGA Amateur of the Month
Mar 13, 2017 - Pepperdine sophomore Sahith Theegala has been named the February Amateur of the Month by the Southern Golf Association
Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine Win Big at Southwestern Invitational
Feb 28, 2017 - Theegala and Pepperdine were on fire this week in a statement win at their home course
Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala finishes the Genesis Open 2-under
Feb 19, 2017 - A long but memorable week has come to an end for Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala captures Genesis Open Collegiate Showcase
Feb 13, 2017 - With the win, the AmateurGolf.com member will now be playing in this weeks Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club
Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala takes Patriot All-America lead
Dec 30, 2016 - A dozen players are under-par after 36-holes and within five shots of Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala takes home O.C. Championship win
May 17, 2015 - Future Pepperdine golfer Sahith Theegala was one away from setting tying the course record at Strawberry Farms on day one
Sahith Theegala runs away with Coronado City
Sep 28, 2014 - Sahith Theegala, after leading by two to begin Sunday's final round, shot 65 to win the Coronado City by eight
Los Angeles City: Theegala rolls past loaded field
Jun 15, 2014 - Sahith Theegala of Chino Hills fired a final-round 65 to close a masterful run at the 97th annual Los Angeles City Championship Sunday