Before they turned pro: Sahith Theegala
September 17, 2023 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Sahith Theegala
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:
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.
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:
Most Popular Articles
FINAL WRAP: AmateurGolf.com Silicon Valley Amateur at Stanford
Jan 14, 2026Dean Greyserman takes title at 12-under - Randy Haag wins playoff in senior division
2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List: 35 Names to Know This Spring
Jan 29, 2026The 2026 Ben Hogan Award watch list is out—35 college golf standouts are in the early mix for the game’s top individual honor.
Titleist Fitting Philosophy: The Competitive Amateur’s Fastest Path to Lower Scores
Jan 26, 2026Competitive golf is a game of small edges. Titleist’s fitting approach combines expert human insight and honest data
NCAA Champion Michael La Sasso Turns Pro, Signs With LIV Golf
Jan 20, 2026Michael La Sasso is going LIV, joining Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC and passing on the 2026 Masters.
Early Invites Announced for the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur
Jan 24, 2026A running list of the first confirmed names headed to Augusta.Loading latest news...