Honolulu, Jan 15 (IANS) The Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour calendar gets underway for 2026 at the Sony Open this week, and Sahith Theegala arrives in Hawaii hoping to turn the page after a disrupted 2025. Once ranked as high as No. 11 in the world, the 27-year-old Californian saw injuries halt his rise last season and spent much of the Fall trying to regain competitive sharpness.

Theegala begins 2026 targeting stronger finishes as he looks to rebuild confidence. His presence continues to resonate with fans in India and the global Indian diaspora.

Waialae Country Club, with its coastal winds and emphasis on precision, provides the season’s first genuine test of form. Theegala is paired with Ireland’s Seamus Power and Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan for the opening two rounds.

There will also be interest in Aaron Rai, the Englishman of Indian descent who, like Theegala, owns a PGA TOUR victory.

This year’s Sony Open features a strong line-up, including four of the world’s top ten — Russell Henley (5), JJ Spaun (6), U.S. Open champion Robert MacIntyre (7), and Ben Griffin (8). Other prominent names such as Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama, and Collin Morikawa, also feature inside the world’s top 20.

With proven champions, FedExCup contenders, and recent Korn Ferry Tour graduates all teeing it up, Waialae once again serves as the first meaningful barometer of the new season, and for Theegala, it is an opportunity to reset his trajectory.

Born in 1997 in Orange, California, to Indian Telugu descent immigrants Muralidhar and Karuna Theegala, Sahith turned professional in 2020 and has two wins on the PGA TOUR.

The 28-year-old Theegala is a three-time NCAA All-American at Pepperdine University and, in his final year, won the Southwestern Invitational, the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, and the Australian Master of the Amateurs.

In his last event, Sahith Theegala fired five birdies in the last six holes but still fell one short of the cut line at the RSM Classic, the final event of the Fall season of the PGA Tour. His first round of even par 70 at the Seaside course was followed by 6-under 66 at the Plantation course. He was 6-under for two rounds, but the cut fell at 7-under, and he missed out by one.

–IANS

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