Indian-Americans Theegala, Bhatia make the cut at Farmers Insurance Open
Rising Indian-American stars Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia through to the money rounds at the Farmers Insurance Open in Torrey Pines.
- Jan 26, 2024,
- Updated Jan 26, 2024 8:31 PM IST
Sahith Theegala shot consecutive birdies to ease into the safe zone on day two of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Thursday along with fellow Indian American Akshay Bhatia, who just made it to the weekend rounds.
Runner-up at the season-opening event The Sentry in Hawaii, Theegala added a 68 to his first round 72 to total 4 under 140 for a share of 50th place after 36 holes while Bhatia (70-71, 3 under 141) was right on the line on T64 after two strong finishes in the first two events, the PGA Tour said.
Britain’s Aaron Rai was another with sub-continental connections to show up well on the leaderboard and was shared seventh on 8 under 136 (66-70), five strokes behind day two leader Stephan Jaeger (68-64) of Germany.
On day one, in form Taiwanese golfer Kevin Yu fired a bogey free 8-under 64 for a one-shot first round lead, just days after his close brush with a breakthrough PGA Tour title at The American Express that saw amateur Nick Dunlap score a historic win.
Yu, formerly the world’s top-ranked amateur, chalked up eight birdies at the North Course at Torrey Pines to maintain a solid run of form following a tied third finish at The American Express at La Quinta last week, the PGA Tour said.
“Very good. Fell short last week, bogeyed the last hole on Sunday. But yeah, I've been playing very good and like just keep building momentum,” said Yu, who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 after a stellar amateur career at Arizona State University.
“I was just talking to my caddie like we have to hit a lot of fairways. I've been hitting it very good, so I don't have to try to like hit my maximum distance. Just hit a lot of fairways. That was the plan. Greens are a little bumpy, but I'm just trying to hit like the best stroke I can out there, which I did today.
“You have to be mentally prepared like when you play on the PGA Tour. I think the Korn Ferry Tour gave me a chance to prepare. It's very competitive, so you have to play very well. That's a quick, great way for you to get ready for the PGA Tour,” added Yu, who closed with a final round 63 last Sunday to finish two shots behind Dunlap.
Sahith Theegala shot consecutive birdies to ease into the safe zone on day two of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Thursday along with fellow Indian American Akshay Bhatia, who just made it to the weekend rounds.
Runner-up at the season-opening event The Sentry in Hawaii, Theegala added a 68 to his first round 72 to total 4 under 140 for a share of 50th place after 36 holes while Bhatia (70-71, 3 under 141) was right on the line on T64 after two strong finishes in the first two events, the PGA Tour said.
Britain’s Aaron Rai was another with sub-continental connections to show up well on the leaderboard and was shared seventh on 8 under 136 (66-70), five strokes behind day two leader Stephan Jaeger (68-64) of Germany.
On day one, in form Taiwanese golfer Kevin Yu fired a bogey free 8-under 64 for a one-shot first round lead, just days after his close brush with a breakthrough PGA Tour title at The American Express that saw amateur Nick Dunlap score a historic win.
Yu, formerly the world’s top-ranked amateur, chalked up eight birdies at the North Course at Torrey Pines to maintain a solid run of form following a tied third finish at The American Express at La Quinta last week, the PGA Tour said.
“Very good. Fell short last week, bogeyed the last hole on Sunday. But yeah, I've been playing very good and like just keep building momentum,” said Yu, who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 after a stellar amateur career at Arizona State University.
“I was just talking to my caddie like we have to hit a lot of fairways. I've been hitting it very good, so I don't have to try to like hit my maximum distance. Just hit a lot of fairways. That was the plan. Greens are a little bumpy, but I'm just trying to hit like the best stroke I can out there, which I did today.
“You have to be mentally prepared like when you play on the PGA Tour. I think the Korn Ferry Tour gave me a chance to prepare. It's very competitive, so you have to play very well. That's a quick, great way for you to get ready for the PGA Tour,” added Yu, who closed with a final round 63 last Sunday to finish two shots behind Dunlap.