Sahith Theegala opened with a 2-under 69 at the RBC Heritage, overcoming a late fade to sit T-27, six shots behind leader Ludvig Åberg.
Theegala raced out of the blocks, picking up four birdies in his first seven holes to reach 4-under at the turn and briefly move into contention.
He began with back-to-back birdies, added gains on the fourth, seventh and ninth, and looked set for a low round before the back nine slowed his momentum.
Bogeys on the 10th, 11th and 18th, alongside a lone birdie on the 15th, brought him back to 2-under for the day.
Akshay Bhatia and Sudarshan Yellamaraju had tougher starts. Bhatia carded a 2-over 73 to sit T-65, while Yellamaraju’s 3-over 74 leaves him T-70.
Bhatia’s round included three bogeys and one birdie, continuing a difficult run following missed cuts at the Hero Indian Open and the Masters.
Yellamaraju’s day unravelled early with a triple bogey on his opening hole. He recovered with a birdie but couldn’t fully regain ground, adding another bogey late in the round.
At the top, Ludvig Åberg set the pace with a flawless 8-under 63, holding a one-shot lead over Harris English and Viktor Hovland, who both carded 64s.
Scottie Scheffler opened with a 68 to sit T-20, while defending champion Justin Thomas struggled to a 76 and lies near the bottom of the field.
For Theegala, the strong front nine offers encouragement — but sharper closing will be key if he is to move into contention over the weekend.
Photo – PGAT
Story – V Krishnaswamy
