“LIV Star Blasted After PGA Tour Golfer’s ‘Brutally Honest’ Interview Shocks Fans””LIV Star Blasted After PGA Tour Golfer’s ‘Brutally Honest’ Interview Shocks Fans”

PGA Tour golfer Sahith Theegala earned widespread praise from golf fans after he voluntarily called a two-shot penalty on himself during the third round of the Tour Championship at East Lake.

Theegala, 26, was playing his second shot from a fairway bunker on the par-4 3rd hole when he believed he might have disturbed the sand during his backswing. Although television footage was inconclusive, Theegala admitted he was 90% certain that he had inadvertently grounded his club.

“It was really tough to see,” Theegala told reporters after reviewing the footage. “My version of it was that I was in the bunker, took my backswing, and to give context, I threw it in the bunker right on the lip. The ball rolled up the lip and came back right on top of where it pitched.”

Despite the uncertainty, Theegala trusted his instincts. “I’ve played so much golf, you just kind of trust your intuition and gut. Right away, I thought I moved some sand. I’m in the 90s percent sure that I did. I’d sleep a lot better if I saw some clear image of me moving the sand.”

The penalty could be costly, as Theegala finished the third round with a 66, leaving him five shots behind Collin Morikawa, who was in second place heading into the final round. Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, appeared poised to claim the 2024 FedEx Cup, holding a five-shot lead after 54 holes.

Theegala’s honesty drew admiration from fans, with comments like, “Dude is pure class,” “Honorable guy, shows his character for sure,” and “This is the best part of the game; we all police ourselves. I love that about golf. Intuition is rarely wrong.”