Rookie Sensation Sudarshan Yellamaraju Set for Major Debut at PGA Championship
Sudarshan Yellamaraju, the 24-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Canada, is preparing for his first major championship appearance at the PGA Championship held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The self-taught left-hander, who moved from India to Winnipeg at age four, has captured attention with his remarkable rise in professional golf.
Yellamaraju enters the tournament ranked 38th in the FedEx Cup standings, the highest among Canadian players. His standout performance includes a surprising T5 finish at The Players Championship in March, which has elevated his profile and drawn increased media attention.
“I’ll have moments where I’m kind of thinking that I’m out here,” Yellamaraju said, reflecting on his recent achievements. “But it’s just moments. It helps me feel better when I’m stressed or down.”
Following his success at TPC Sawgrass, Yellamaraju continued his strong form with a T6 finish at the Houston Open and a T14 at the Valero Texas Open. These results have forced him to recalibrate his goals for the season.
“Obviously, going into the year, the goal was to keep my card and get enough points to do that. I think I’m pretty close,” he explained. “Now the aim is to finish as high as possible so I can pick and choose my schedule for next year.”
Yellamaraju turned professional in 2021 at age 19 without any college golf experience. He honed his skills on mini-tour events, spent two seasons on PGA Tour Canada, and two more on the Korn Ferry Tour before earning his PGA Tour card. His unconventional path included learning the game from his cricket-playing father and YouTube videos, with no formal golf lessons.
“I think it’s the same,” he said of the challenge of playing in his first major. “Each week I’m trying to learn each course, and this is no different. The name is the PGA Championship, but I’m just going to try my best to play.”
Yellamaraju’s game is well-rounded, with statistics inside the top 40 in every category except around the green, an area he is actively improving. He prefers a hands-on approach to practice, focusing on on-course problem-solving rather than simulator data.
“Some weeks I haven’t played my best, and I’ve been scraping around trying to figure out my game,” he said. “But that’s part of golf. You’re not going to play well every week, and each course is different.”
As he navigates the increased attention, Yellamaraju remains grounded. “I’m just trying to be the person that I can be. If people are nice about it, that’s great. I’m just trying to be me.”
