Yellamaraju, Rai open with 67s as Theegala struggles at Sony Open

The opening round of the Sony Open produced mixed starts for the Indian-origin trio of Sahith Theegala, Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Aaron Rai at Waialae Country Club on Thursday.

Theegala opened his 2026 PGA TOUR season with a 3-over 73 to sit T-104. Starting on the 10th, he made two birdies but gave shots back with three bogeys and a double bogey.

Yellamaraju, the 23-year-old Indo-Canadian, signed for a 3-under 67 to finish T-29 after a rollercoaster start. He opened with a double bogey, then responded with five birdies and an eagle at the ninth, alongside two bogeys, to turn his round around.

Rai, the Indo-British contender, also posted a 67 to join Yellamaraju at T-29 and remain in early contention.

At the top of the leaderboard, defending champion Nick Taylor and Kevin Roy share the lead at 8-under 62. Taylor picked up birdies on three par-3s, while Roy raced out with seven birdies in his first 11 holes and added another at the 18th.

Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup sit one shot back at 7-under 63.

The Sony Open marks an unusual late start to the PGA TOUR season after the traditional opener at Kapalua was cancelled due to water issues, but the week has still drawn a strong field that includes four of the world’s top 10.