sudarshan yellamaraju delivered a jolt at The Players Championship on Saturday, firing a bogey-free 6-under 66 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The Canadian rookie surged up the leaderboard on moving day, reaching 5-under for the tournament and sitting in a tie for 19th at the conclusion of his round, eight shots behind leader Ludvig Aberg. The round came a day after he fought to make the cut on Friday, then flipped the script in a near-flawless third round.
Moving day surge at TPC Sawgrass
The third-round 66 featured six birdies and no bogeys, with the highlight a run of four consecutive birdies on the front nine that pushed him into red numbers and kept the momentum building. His score was the second-lowest round of Saturday at the championship, trailing only Robert McIntyre’s 65.
For long stretches, the performance looked complete from start to finish. When he finished on 18, he was leading all players in both strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained: putting, underscoring how clean the day was across his ball-striking and on the greens.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju: self-taught path, big-stage result
Sudarshan Yellamaraju’s rise continues to stand out at this event. He is a 24-year-old born in India who lives in Mississauga, Ontario, and he has never taken formal swing instruction. He learned the game by watching YouTube and arrived at this week’s championship as a Canadian PGA Tour rookie.
After Saturday’s round, he kept his assessment simple when asked what part of his game pleased him most: “Everything. ” He also pointed to the run of momentum that defined the scorecard: “Four straight birdies was pretty cool, ” he said.
His Players Championship debut is also part of a strong first season on the PGA Tour after qualifying through the Korn Ferry Tour. Through six PGA Tour starts, he has made five cuts, posted two top-25 finishes, and earned $358, 940.
Canada’s wider presence heading into Sunday
Yellamaraju is not the only Canadian in the mix this week. Corey Conners headed into Sunday five shots behind Aberg at 8-under, in a tie for fourth. Conners is set to play alongside Justin Thomas in the fourth-to-last pairing as he aims to apply pressure on Aberg in the final round.
Two other Canadians also made the cut: Nick Taylor sat at 2-under in a tie for 37th after Saturday’s action, while Taylor Pendrith was at 1-under for a share of 43rd.
What’s next Sunday at The Players
All eyes now turn to Sunday’s final round, with the top of the leaderboard led by Ludvig Aberg and a packed chase group behind him. For sudarshan yellamaraju, the task is straightforward: follow Saturday’s bogey-free blueprint and see how far another strong round can move him up from a tie for 19th.
