Team Theegala 👋

A weekend full of good golf!

New Zealander Ryan Fox outlasted most of Team Europe to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, while Pepperdine standout Sahith Theegala finally punched through in Napa to win his first PGA Tour event.

A special thanks to my friend Reid DeRamus who wrote this edition while I was out catching up with some old high school golf buddies in Chicago. Somehow stories of my 4-putt adventures and back nine catastrophes haven’t been forgotten through the years.

Anyways, let’s dive into it. Here’s Reid with the weekend review:

Ryan Fox outlasts Team Europe

Ryan Fox made a gutsy birdie putt on the 18th hole on Sunday to capture his 4th DP World Tour win at the BMW PGA Championship in England.

• Fox — ranked 42nd in the world heading into this week — outlasted a surging Tyrrell Hatton and several other European Ryder Cup team members.

• The burly New Zealander (just check out those forearms ^^) made a triple bogey on his third hole of the day, but righted the ship with a six-under 31 on his closing nine.

What he’s saying: “I certainly didn't think I'd be talking to you [as the winner] after the third hole today," Fox told Sky Sports after his round. “To have a back nine like that, especially after how I started, was amazing."

Catch up quick: Fox joined the DP World Tour (fka the European Tour) in 2015, but really propelled to prominence last year after winning twice and finishing 2nd in the DP World Tour Rankings.

What to watch: Starting this year, the top 10 players in the DP World Tour Rankings earn their PGA Tour cards.

• That means, with a win this week, we might see a lot more of Ryan Fox in the US come 2024.

The day was not so hot for 23-year-old rookie Ludvig Åberg who had a two-shot lead heading into Sunday.

• Åberg struggled early with two double bogeys on his way to a 76 (+4) and a 10th place finish.

• The disappointing final round brings Åberg back to Earth a bit after winning his previous start in Switzerland and making the European Ryder Cup team some four months after turning pro.

Of note: All players on the European Ryder Cup team not only made the cut — they peppered the top of the leaderboard!

• Nine of the twelve team members finished in the top 20 at Wentworth, including Rory who had the lowest round on Sunday (a seven-under 65).

A family affair in Napa

After twelve top 10’s over the past two years — including a few very close calls — crowd favorite Sahith Theegala broke through on Sunday at the Fortinet Championship to capture his first PGA tour win.

• Theegala dominated Sunday, spending most of the day with at least a 3-shot lead.

• The best part about it — he had plenty of family and friends there to celebrate! Theegala’s dad and the rest of “Team Theegala” caught a ton of air time over the weekend as they cheered their favorite Pepperdine alum on to victory.

What he’s saying: “Even through the highs and the lows this week, they were cheering me on and supporting me, and they've been that way since I've started my pro career,” Theegala said. “It’s awesome.”

Justin Thomas didn’t quite have his best stuff on Sunday, grinding out a 72 (E) to finish 5th.

• Still, JT has to feel encouraged heading into the Ryder Cup after what was his best PGA Tour finish since February.

What to watch: As we covered in our recent fall season preview, players ranked 51 to 60 at the end of the FedEx Cup Fall series earn their way into two of the first signature events next year, while those finishing in the top 125 keep their PGA Tour cards.

• S.H. Kim had a stellar week, finishing in 2nd place and jumping from 83rd to 57th in the rankings.

• Troy Merritt shot the low round of the day on Sunday (a seven-under 65) sneaking inside the top 125 for now (133rd → 118th).

What’s next: The FedEx Fall continues at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi on October 5th (the week following the Ryder Cup).

And finally…

Here is Sahith’s dad (of Full Swing fame) on Sunday. Simply the best.

That’s all for today! Thanks so much for reading y’all. And again, a special thanks to Reid for all his help on this one.

We’ll be back next week for some Ryder Cup preview action. Until then!

- Nick B. 🇺🇸 🇪🇺