Theegala takes early lead in Phoenix Open
Cards 65 in weatherdelayed first round
Sahith Theegala spent time with his parents in the players’ dining room and ate during what ended up being a long weather delay.
With no room to sit in the clubhouse at TPC Scottsdale, Theegala went out to his car to get warm, listen to music and play chess on his phone.
The break did nothing to slow him down.
Theegala returned to birdie his first hole following the delay, shooting a 6-under 65 to take the early lead in the unfinished first round of the Phoenix Open on Thursday.
“The weather was, it was not good, (but) those last four holes felt great, so I think there might be some good scores (Friday) with the wave that just teed off,” Theegala said. “It’s going to be cold, but hopefully no rain and wind. We’ll see. I played great and that’s all I can do, really.”
Five days after weather shortened the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am to 54 holes, storms followed the PGA Tour to the desert.
A chilly morning gave way to wind and heavy rain that left pools of water on the greens at TPC Scottsdale. The Stadium Course was deemed unplayable around noon, leading to a delay of 3 1/2 hours.
About half the field was able to finish following the delay, leaving the rest to return Friday morning to resume their first rounds.
Varner opened with two straight birdies and closed with two birdies on his last three holes. He began the season last week at the Mexican resort of Mayakoba and finished last in the 54-man field, 26 shots out of the lead.
Varner said he got in some work with Butch Harmon, the esteemed swing coach who lives in Las Vegas and doesn’t travel much.