MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For those who have had enough of the unbridled greed that appears to be consuming professional golf, we give you Sahith Theegala.
As LIV Golf continues to offer players nine-figure deals to join the breakaway circuit and the PGA Tour is ready to embark on a new schedule with dramatic purse and bonus increases, Theegala was asked Friday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship about his plan to buy a new car.
“Getting close, for sure,” he smiled. “I have my Volkswagen Passat still, just hit the 100,000-mile mark.”
Theegala has earned more than $2.6 million his rookie year on Tour and is currently projected to advance to the Tour Championship, where his FedExCup bonus would range from $18 million to $500,000 depending on his finish. With this backdrop, consider that the 24-year-old’s desire for a new car comes with a caveat.
“The problem is, I just got [his current car] fixed, like a $700 repair, so I'm like, oh, I don't need a new car now,” said Theegala, who is three shots off the lead following a second-round 70 at TPC Southwind. “But I've always dreamed of having a nice car; that was kind of the first thing that I was going to buy. I don't really spend on anything, so definitely going to look into it. I think this offseason I'm going to do it."