ATLANTA – Sahith Theegala showed true sportsmanship at the Tour Championship by calling a two-shot penalty on himself for a rules infraction that only he had noticed. This act of honesty was particularly noteworthy given the high stakes of the FedEx Cup finale.
Theegala’s decision to penalize himself even though video replay did not conclusively show the incident was a testament to his integrity. He expressed his feelings by saying, “I’d sleep a lot better if I saw some clear image of me moving the sand.”
The golfer explained, “Pretty sure I breached the rules, so I’m paying the price for it, and I feel good about it.” Despite the penalty, Theegala managed to secure an impressive 5-under 66 performance, including seven birdies on the back nine, propelling him to third place.
Reflecting on the incident, Theegala shared, “I’ve just played so much golf. You spend so much time of your life staring down at the lie you have, the ball you have, and it just did not feel like a normal fairway bunker shot. It felt like some of the sand moved.”
In the end, Theegala’s self-imposed penalty exemplified the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship in golf, earning him admiration and respect on the Tour Championship stage.
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