STUMP STORY OF THE DAY
The Future of Golf Just May Go Through India
No longer rising stars, just stars. Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala have both had interesting journey’s to the top, and they may be here to stay!
When you look at the future of golf, there’s a lot of different names that come up, Kim, Aberg, Dunlap, Hojgaard, and more. But there’s two names that you can’t forget. Bhatia and Theegala.
Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala are both American-born and raised. But their parents, on the other hand, both came to the United States from India. Immigrants who raised their children with traditional Indian customs. Neither families are traditional golf families. Neither grew up around it, but found love for it as their sons grew up playing. India does not have a traditionally rich golf history, but it’s great to see these two putting on for their heritage. Even though they represent the United States, they represent a much bigger crowd that hopefully inspires generations of golfers for years to come.
Bhatia and Theegala were both outstanding junior amateur golfers, both moving on to play extremely high-level golf at the collegiate level. Since their arrival on tour, both have become strong competitors week in and week out.
Bhatia has two career wins, the 2023 Barracuda Championship and the 2024 Texas Open, as well as 8 top 10 finishes, and 5 top 5s. He’s been one of the hottest players on the tour in recent weeks, as he finished 5th last week at the Travelers Championship and currently leads the Rocket Mortgage going into the weekend. Bhatia is a smooth swinging lefty who generates a lot of power despite his skinnier appearance.
Theegala has been one of the fan favorites across the tour this year after an extremely emotional episode of ‘Full Swing’ on Netflix featured Sahith, his family, and their emotional rollercoaster around the game of golf. Theegala has yet to win the big one, but he’s been knocking on the door for months. His only win is the 2023 Fortinet Championship, but he has 5 top 10s this year which makes him the 8th ranked golfer on the PGA Tour.
The two of them are close to winning the big one, frankly, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the two of them battling each other soon. You can’t talk about the future of golf without mentioning these two. They are not from traditional golf families, which I’d say makes them even more dangerous. They’re playing for more than just themselves.
BECOME THE SMARTEST SPORTS FAN IN THE ROOM, IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES
In our newsletter sent out EVERY MORNING, 'The Daily Stump', we tell you everything you need to know from the previous night in sports and the upcoming events of the day! You'll even get some humor and culture. You'll NEVER watch sports the same again.
Comments