In Calling a (Pricey) Penalty on Himself, Sahith Theegala Takes the High Road

Sahith Theegala finished third at the Tour Championship and likely cost himself millions after a two-shot penalty Saturday on a judgment call that was all his own.

Sahith Theegala gained even more fans at the Tour Championship with an honorable penalty decision Saturday. / Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

ATLANTA — Sahith Theegala potentially cost himself several million dollars with a noble move on Saturday that resulted in a penalty that—had it been let go—in no way would have helped him. And it undoubtedly would not have been noticed by anyone watching.

Theegala is understandably getting a lot of praise for his actions, which in some circles would be expected but, given the circumstances, makes you wonder about golf’s rules—something he noted.

He called a two-shot penalty on himself early in the third round of the Tour Championship at East Lake when he sensed that he might have grazed or moved a few grains of sand during his backswing from a fairway bunker shot.

Sahith Theegala self-reported a two-stroke penalty for touching the sand with his club during his backswing.

He currently moves from -13 to -11, but will have the opportunity to review the penalty with a rules official following his round. pic.twitter.com/rLAgGJGZ5c

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 31, 2024

Television replays could not definitively say that any such violation occurred, making it all the more agonizing for Theegala, who immediately summoned the other player in his group, Xander Schauffele, and a PGA Tour rules official.

It was Theegala’s hope that because it didn’t improve his lie or the shot, no penalty would be called. But he was soon informed intent is not an issue, and if he touched the sand in trying to make the swing, it was a penalty.

Rules officials were prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, as the replays did not show anything. But Theegala said it didn’t sit right with him.

“Oh, I wouldn't be able to sleep,” he said afterward. “I was describing the situation—no matter what the outcome was, I needed to know what the actual rule was. Even though me and Xander thought it's just whatever, it's fine, you touched a grain of sand, didn't mean to move it, you're good.

“I decided to call the rules official right away on that green. But either way, I would have asked the rules officials after the round, too, or somehow found out what the rule was, and if I didn't ask a rules official and I went back home and looked up the rule—it was sitting in my mind.

“Again, intuition, it felt like I moved the sand. It was sitting in my mind. If I went back after the round, looked that up and found out that it was a two-shot penalty, I would be DQ'd (disqualified) right now. So I am glad I brought it up right away. I know the rules of golf a little bit better now. There is a lot of silly stuff you can do in the bunker. You can chuck a club in the bunker, you can literally stand—you can use your golf club as a stand in the bunker. As long as it's not right next to your ball.

“There's a lot of things you can do. But unfortunately if it's in the area affecting the lie and the swing of your shot, regardless of intent, it's a two-shot penalty.”

Theegala undoubtedly gained a lot of respect for his decision, and it seems fitting he did it at East Lake, the original home of Bobby Jones. The founder of Augusta National and winner of the Grand Slam in 1930 famously called a penalty on himself that has long been held up as an example of honor.

During the first round of the 1925 U.S. Open at Worcester Country Club, Jones, then 23, believed he might have moved the ball while addressing a shot out of the rough on the 11th hole. Nobody could determine if he, indeed, had caused the ball to move, and a rules official told him there would be no penalty. But Jones ultimately decided it was deserved and added one stroke to his score.

Jones ended up in a playoff with Willy Macfarlane, who tied him after 18 holes, which at the time necessitated another 18 holes to decide the outcome. Although Jones led by four during that round, Macfarlane ended up winning his only major when Jones failed to get up and down from a bunker on the last hole, prevailing by a stroke. (Jones won seven professional majors and another six of the best amateur titles.)

When praised for his integrity, Jones famously said: “You might as well congratulate me for not robbing a bank.”

Theegala ended up third in the FedEx Cup standings, six shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler and two behind Collin Morikawa. It’s impossible to know for sure how much those two shots impacted him in the end, but based on the purse numbers, had he tied with Morikawa he’d have earned $2.5 million extra.

As it worked out, Morikawa got $12.5 million in bonus money while Theegala got $7.5 million.

Decoding Monahan

Jay Monahan didn’t give up much when speaking to the media last week at the Tour Championship as it relates to the PGA Tour’s negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

The PGA Tour commissioner, understandably, is not going to offer a lot of details about the talks and has said on several times he won’t negotiate in the media.

But there are some clues as to how he might feel about things, if you sift through all the words. Here is an attempt to decipher what he might have really been saying.

> When asked about the status of the negotiations with the PIF, Monahan said:

 “I think the best way for me to respond to that is when you look at where we are right now, we're in regular dialogue.

“We have the right people at the table with the right mindset. I see that in all of these conversations, and that's both sides. That creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together. But at the same time, these conversations are complex. They're going to take time. They have taken time, and they will continue to take time.

“As I sit here today, I think the most important thing for us and our obligations to our fans, our players and our partners is to focus on what we control, which we're doing, as I outlined, and to continue to carry this momentum forward.

“But I'm not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics. All I can say is that conversations continue, and they're productive.”

Another way to say it: The Tour is in no hurry to make a deal and will continue to push forward with what it is doing aside from LIV Golf.

> Asked if he was concerned that some sponsors or TV partners are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward future commitments until there is some resolution with the PIF, Monahan said:

“When you think about the media partners that we have and the length of partnership, to have the power of NBC and Golf Channel, CBS Sports, ESPN+, our international partners, and to have the portfolio of sponsors that we have, many of whom have been here for decades who believe strongly in the competitive platform and fabric of the PGA Tour, but they also believe very strongly in their and our duty to make a positive impact in the communities where we're invited to play and in the charities that rest and sit in those communities.

“When I look at where we are in '25, as I said, we were really proud to announce that schedule and to have the support of our great partners, and we will continue to work very closely with all of them, in '25 and beyond '25, with a focus on continuing to innovate, continuing to drive this business forward together and collectively.”

What he didn’t say: Monahan pointed to officials who were sitting in the front row from the Travelers Championship as an example of happy sponsors, which was a bit disingenuous. Travelers is signed on through 2030 and has one of the best events on Tour, especially now that it is a signature event played the week after the U.S. Open.

But there are sponsors who are waiting to see what transpires, including RBC, which for the second year straight year has renewed for just a single year at both the RBC Heritage and RBC Canadian Open. As for the charitable impact, the Tour has already moved to take over a few more events that it will own through its Championship Management arm, which starting next year will run what is now the Truist Championship, formerly the Wells Fargo. That is but one way the Tour will attempt to make money for its for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises. Does that mean less for charity?

> Asked about the possibility of LIV golfers coming back to the PGA Tour since there is a pathway back on the DP World Tour (via a fine and suspension system), Monahan said:

“As it relates to any details of the conversations that we're having with the Public Investment Fund, I'm not going to disclose details. I'm not going to get into specifics.

“But I will tell you when you look at what has happened on the PGA Tour over the last couple of years, to think about PGA Tour University, to now have 20 players that have access to the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour, to have these new and emerging stars, some of whom are still in college, like Luke Clanton, earning points and demonstrating to the world that they're coming and that they're capable of competing at the highest level, to the strength that we see at the Korn Ferry Tour, to the path that we have at the DP World Tour and our great alliance there, and those 10 players have come this way, three of whom have made it into the FedEx Cup playoffs. The system that we have, which extends to the international tours around the world, is really performing at a really high level, and that's what we're excited about.”

Another way to say it: The Tour feels good about its system of promoting young players and seeing others come to the Tour via the DP World Tour. It doesn’t appear concerned with players who are now part of LIV, certainly not a majority of them, and a path back for LIV golfers is not a top-of-mind concern.

> Asked why there is even a need to negotiate another deal with the PIF given the extensive investment in January by the Strategic Sports Group, which has pumped $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises, with vague plans to grow the business while giving PGA Tour players equity shares in the new company, Monahan said:

“I think when you look at where we are today and when you think about—and what we hear from fans and what we're hearing from players, ultimately we're both in a position to bring the best players in the world back together. I think that's a good and aspirational goal.

“As I said earlier, we're in those discussions. We're at the table. They're complex, and it's going to take time. But ultimately, PGA Tour is the greatest tour in the world, and we're going to continue to focus on the things that we control, and I think as I've outlined, I'm really proud of the accomplishments our players and entire team have captured together.

“I think it's the right time to be having these conversations, and it's the right time not only for the PGA Tour but for the game. That's why we've committed ourselves to those conversations.”

Another way to say it: Even though the Tour initially set a deadline with the PIF for Dec. 31 of last year, it is no longer in any hurry to make a deal with the PIF now that it has the $1.5 billion in investment from SSG and all manner of things to do related to that. But it makes sense to mention the talking points fans care about most—bringing the best back together more often—even if there is seemingly no urgency to doing so.

 Adam Scott’s major streak

It got a good bit of attention in June when it appeared that Adam Scott was going to see a long streak of consecutive major championship appearances come to an end when he was not exempt for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

Scott went through final qualifying, lost in a playoff, then ultimately got into the field as one of the alternates to keep the streak alive, then extended it when he tied for 10th at the British Open, a tournament he qualified for last year with a high finish at the Australian Open.

That means Scott has played in 93 consecutive major championships dating to the 2001 Open, a remarkable stretch of consistency and good fortune.

Adam Scott, pictured at the BMW Championship, appears set to keep an impressive major streak alive after qualifying for the Tour Championship. / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

By qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship, Scott is all but assured of making it into all four major championships in 2025. The top 30 designation is a direct qualification criteria for the Masters, U.S. Open and Open. Scott is in the Masters for life as a past champion. And the PGA Championship, which does not have an official world ranking designation, typically invites all of those who are in the top 100 in the Official World Ranking. Scott is also likely to make it via the PGA’s points list which is based on PGA Tour performance.

Assuming all of that and no injury issues, Scott would then run his major streak to 97 in a row through 2025.

The only player in history to play in 100 straight was Jack Nicklaus, who played an astounding 146 in a row starting at the 1962 Masters through the 1998 U.S. Open.

Scott—again if healthy—would get to 98 straight at the 2026 Masters.

The Creator Classic

Luke Kwon defeated Wesley Bryan, Sean Walsh and Roger Steele in a sudden-death playoff last week at East Lake Golf Club in the inaugural Creator Classic, an event put on by the PGA Tour in an effort to tap into an ever-growing YouTube audience of fans who consume their golf in huge numbers through that medium.

While the names of the players might not be as prominent as Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, they are well known in the YouTube space. The Tour invited 16 of the most prominent YouTube stars who have hundreds of thousands of followers and the live streaming broadcast did more than 100,000 viewers on the Tour’s YouTube channel.

How the Tour attempts to capitalize on this in the future is unclear, but it has more plans for Creator events in 2025 and might consider integrating Tour players and even highlights into content.

Bryson DeChambeau has already built a big YouTube following with his channel that has numerous different ways to approach golf, including series where he and another player try to break 50 in a best-ball competition for nine holes from the front tees.

Xander's year ... and other notes

It is rare for a player to win two major championships in the same year and be looking up at someone who had a better season. But that is what Xander Schauffele faces at the end of 2024, a year that saw him win two major championships but likely will see Scottie Scheffler get the Tour’s Player of the Year award.

It's quite possible that Schauffele will garner plenty of support, but it’s tough to deny the year of Scheffler, who won seven times on the PGA Tour, including the Masters, the Players Championship and the season-ending Tour Championship.

Schauffele broke through for his first major win at the PGA Championship and then played an incredible back nine at Royal Troon to capture the British Open. He became the first player since Brooks Koepka in 2018 to win two majors in a year.

He also had a total of 15 top-10 finishes in 19 tournaments and has now made 55 consecutive cuts, the longest streak since Steve Stricker got to 49 in 2012 and the best effort of anyone since Tiger Woods made 142 in a row, a streak that ended in 2005.

And yet ... Scheffler won seven times as well as the Olympic gold. He didn’t miss a cut all year and posted 16 top-10s.

“He's been playing unbelievable golf,” said Schauffele, who tied for fourth at the Tour Championship. “I feel like we're all just chasing him. I've done probably the best job of getting the closest to him, but it's still very far away. Just a lot of credit to him and his team for putting together a really special year.”

And a few more things

> Captains Jim Furyk and Mike Weir will make their respective at-large picks for their Presidents Cup teams Tuesday. The event begins Sept. 26 at Royal Montreal.

> Keegan Bradley, who won the BMW Championship last week and moved to 10th in the Presidents Cup standings, said he won’t be part of Furyk’s selection process for the American side, even though he is an assistant captain. Bradley is the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain. And his own playing candidacy has made for a bit of an awkward situation. “We had a great conversation,” Bradley said of a chat with Furyk. “He's got a tough choice ahead of him. I don't know which way it's going to go, but like I said, I'm happy to play whatever role I need to play for the team. Whatever role I play is going to help me for Bethpage and start the year I wanted to play on this team. I would love to play, but if Jim has other plans, I totally understand.”

> Among some other tough calls for Furyk: does he take Max Homa, who has struggled for a few months but was a strong U.S. player the last two years? What about Justin Thomas, the subject of so much derision for his pick at the Ryder Cup last year?

> After finishing second to Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy was rather quiet the rest of the season. He tied for fourth at the Scottish Open but missed the cut at the British Open, was in contention for a medal at the Olympics before a late double bogey and then was basically a non-factor in the playoff events. He ended tied for ninth in the final standings.

“My season is not over, obviously,” said McIlroy, who will play the Irish Open, the BMW PGA Championship, the Dunhill Links Championship as well as two season-ending events in the U.A.E. as part of his DP World Tour schedule.

“I’ve still got five events left to play. But I feel like the tournaments came thick and fast, and obviously with the Olympics thrown in there, as well, this year, it sort of condensed everything a bit. I think it was obviously a great season. It's been a long season, and I'm going to just have to think about trying to build in a few extra breaks here and there next year and going forward because I felt like I hit a bit of a wall sort of post-U.S. Open, and still feel a little bit of that hangover.”