Sahith Theegala opened with a superb 5-under 67 to share the lead when play was suspended due to darkness in the first round of The Players Championship.
Theegala joined Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sepp Straka and Austin Smotherman at the top of the leaderboard. Smotherman was the only player among the leaders who had not completed his round, with one hole still to play.
The 28-year-old made a fast start with three birdies on the front nine, with his only setback coming at the ninth after finding trouble in a bunker.
The highlight of the round came at the par-4 12th, where Theegala holed out from 99 yards for an eagle — a moment that propelled him into a share of the lead. He added another birdie on the 16th to complete a strong opening day.
Reflecting on the shot, Theegala said he was aiming to land the ball short and let it release up the slope, but a slightly thin strike ended up catching the flag and dropping for eagle.
Theegala has been rebuilding momentum after injury issues last season and entered the week with three top-10 finishes already in 2026.
Among other players of Indian origin, Akshay Bhatia opened with a 1-under 71 to sit tied 30th. Bhatia began well with two birdies but was set back by a double bogey on the 14th before steadying with nine consecutive pars to close his round.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju was 1-over through 17 holes when play was halted, placing him around tied 52nd, while Aaron Rai carded a 74 to sit tied 69th.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished with an even-par round to be tied 40th, while Rory McIlroy struggled to a 2-over 74. Tommy Fleetwood opened with a 3-under 69 to sit inside the top 10.
Collin Morikawa withdrew from the tournament due to injury after completing just one hole.
With play set to resume early on Friday, Theegala holds a share of the lead heading into the second day at TPC Sawgrass.
Photo – PGAT
