Indian-American golfers Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia had strong starts at the Charles Schwab Challenge, both carding opening rounds of 3-under 67 at the PGA Tour event held at Colonial Country Club in Texas. They finished the first day tied for 32nd place, trailing the six-way lead by three shots on a closely contested leaderboard.
Leading the pack at 6-under 64 after the first round were Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Tom Kim, J.J. Spaun, Matt McCarty, and Lee Hodges. Spaun, ranked ninth globally and the top player in the field, continued his consistent performance with a flawless 64. Russell Henley and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg, ranked 12th and 13th respectively, were tied 19th after shooting 4-under 66.
Theegala, a former PGA Tour winner, displayed promising form, staying bogey-free through 14 holes and finishing with birdies on the first, sixth, and 11th holes. Despite a brief setback with a bogey on the 15th, he bounced back with a birdie on the 18th to end with a 67, showcasing his steady progress.
Bhatia’s round took a different trajectory, starting with early struggles that saw him slip over par after consecutive bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes. However, he regained momentum with birdies on the 11th and 15th, and closed strongly with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th to match Theegala at 3-under.
Indo-Canadian golfer Sudarshan Yellamaraju faced challenges early on, dropping shots on the fourth and fifth holes. Despite fighting back with birdies, he ended the day at 1-over 71. Notable performances also came from Japan’s Keita Nakajima and Justin Thomas, both at 1-under 69, while Åberg remained well-placed at 4-under, just two shots off the lead.
