What Happened to Theegala After His Strong Start at the Bank of Utah Championship?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Sahith Theegala struggled in the third round with a score of 70.
- He dropped from the top 10 to tied-27th.
- Michael Brennan leads the championship with an impressive 64.
- Only three tournaments are left to secure a spot in the FedExCup.
- Players need to adapt quickly to maintain their ranking.
Ivins (USA), Oct 26 (NationPress) Sahith Theegala, who began with impressive rounds of 68-67, struggled to keep his performance intact in the third round of the Bank of Utah Championship, finishing with a score of one-under 70, which caused him to drop in the rankings.
Playing at the picturesque Black Desert Resort Golf Course, the Indian-American player ended up at 8-under 205 after three rounds on Saturday. This result saw him fall from the top 10 to a tie for 27th place as he heads into the final round of this PGA Tour Fall event.
Theegala, who previously showcased the form that propelled him to 11th in the world rankings in mid-2024, found it challenging to establish a consistent rhythm on a course that had provided numerous scoring chances.
He bogeyed the first two holes and incurred another shot loss on the sixth, putting him at three over for the day. A birdie on the seventh helped him halt the decline, followed by another on the ninth, allowing him to finish the front nine at one-over. On the back nine, Theegala managed to regain composure, making birdies on the 14th and 18th holes to secure a sub-par round.
Michael Brennan, competing on a sponsor exemption after his impressive performances on the PGA TOUR Americas, delivered a remarkable seven-under 64 to claim a two-shot lead over defending champion Matt McCarty. At just 23 years old, this marks only Brennan's third appearance in a PGA TOUR event, but his debut as a professional. Following a double bogey on the second hole, he ignited a remarkable performance, going seven-under in an eight-hole stretch.
Brennan's ascent highlights a phenomenal late-season surge—he clinched three victories in a four-event span on the PGA TOUR Americas and topped the season's points leaderboard, securing one of the ten Korn Ferry Tour cards available.
McCarty matched Brennan's score of 64, finishing strongly with seven birdies in his last eight holes, putting him in second place at 16-under. Other competitors include Rico Hoey (63), Kevin Yu (63), and Pierceson Coody (66) tied for third at 14-under, while Hayden Springer (62) and Thorbjørn Olesen (65) are just a shot behind at 13-under.
With only three tournaments left this season, players are racing to secure a spot in the top 100 of the FedExCup standings to maintain their full PGA Tour status for 2026—down from 125 last year.