Theegala’s late charge continues as he climbs into top-25 at The American Express

Sahith Theegala’s slow start turned into a steady climb at The American Express, as the Indian-origin American added another composed round on Saturday to move firmly into the top half of the leaderboard.

Theegala carded a 5-under 67 in the third round to reach 14-under, jumping to T-24 after rounds of 71-64-68. Just two days earlier, he had been buried in a tie for 118th — making his surge one of the quieter moves of the week.

He set the tone early with birdies at the second and fourth before a bogey at the fifth briefly stalled momentum. A birdie at the ninth steadied him, and for the second straight day he struck an eagle on the par-5 11th. Another bogey followed at the 12th, but birdies at the 14th and 16th sealed a solid scoring day and kept him trending upward heading into Sunday.

At the top, Si Woo Kim grabbed the outright lead with a 6-under 66 at La Quinta Country Club to reach 22-under, one clear of Scottie Scheffler and 18-year-old Blades Brown, who share second. Scheffler’s 68 came on the tougher Stadium Course, while Brown closed with three straight birdies to stay in the hunt.

It was a tougher day for others of Indian origin. Akshay Bhatia unravelled late to miss the cut after a 78, while Sudarshan Yellamaraju narrowly fell short despite a 68, finishing one shot outside the cut line.

With nine players within four shots of the lead, and Theegala quietly building momentum, the final round promises a crowded Sunday at PGA West.

Photo – PGAT