La Quinta (California), Jan 25 (NationPress) Sahith Theegala has made significant progress on the leaderboard, achieving another impressive round at the American Express by shooting a 5-under 67 on the third day, which elevates him into the Top-25.

This Indian-American golfer, who is aiming for an early boost following a lackluster 2025 season, is now at 14-under par and tied for 24th place after three rounds of 71-64-68, a remarkable improvement from his initial standing of tied for 118th.

Leading the pack is Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who surged to the top after a 6-under 66 at La Quinta Country Club, reaching a total of 22-under 194. He holds a narrow one-shot lead over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and 18-year-old Blades Brown, who are tied for second.

Brown finished his round with a flourish, making three consecutive birdies, while Scheffler faced tougher conditions on the Pete Dye Stadium Course, managing a 68 that included two bogeys.

Theegala, who had previously scored two eagles in the second round, added another eagle in the third round. He started his round well with birdies on the second and fourth holes, although he had a setback with a bogey on the fifth.

He stabilized his performance with a birdie on the ninth, and for the second day running, he secured an eagle on the par-5 11th. Despite a bogey on the 12th, birdies on the 14th and 16th allowed him to finish with a solid 67, positioning him favorably for the final day.

It was a challenging day for other players of Indian origin. Akshay Bhatia struggled with a round of 78, missing the 54-hole cut at 1-under for the week.

Bhatia began promisingly with three birdies and a bogey in his first eight holes, but his round fell apart with a triple bogey on the ninth, followed by a quadruple bogey on the tenth.

He continued to face challenges with a double bogey on the par-3 13th.

Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju also narrowly missed the cut line, despite scoring 68, finishing the week at 10-under par, just one shot short after failing to secure the crucial birdie in the last five holes.

Kim, Scheffler, and Brown will comprise the final group for Sunday’s closing round on the Stadium Course, considered the most challenging of the three used during the opening days.

Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Eric Cole trail by two shots after rounds of 66, while Tom Hoge follows closely with a 65. With nine players separated by only four shots, the tournament promises an exciting finish.