PGA Tour star playing at Genesis Invitational | Golf News

Sahith Theegala is competing in another PGA Tour event, but this time via a distinctive exemption to The Genesis Invitational.

The second signature event of the 2026 PGA Tour season is celebrating its one centesimal anniversary back at Riviera Country Club after being compelled to transfer last 12 months because of the wildfires in the Pacific Palisades.

This 12 months, Theegala obtained the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption, awarded to people who signify range in the game of golf. The exemption has been supplied since 2009 and permits a golfer of minority heritage to take part in the event at Riviera.

In 2017, the exemption was renamed to commemorate the legacy of Charlie Sifford, the first African-American participant to compete on the PGA Tour.

Theegala is a Pepperdine University graduate and completed T-49 in his Tour debut at the 2017 Genesis Invitational after securing a place in the sector with a win in the Collegiate Showcase at Riviera on Monday of event week.

“I’m just so glad to be here,” said Theegala forward of The Genesis Invitational 2026.

“I honestly didn’t expect to be here. It’s probably my favorite event of the year. I grew up close by. All my family is from here, grew up here. Yeah, I’m just super, super happy to be here, especially to receive the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption. That was enormous to me.”

Theegala was born in the United States to Indian immigrants Muralidhar and Karuna, who arrived in the United States from Telangana, India, in the late Nineteen Eighties.

“Any part I can play in growing the game and diversifying the game and what Charlie did when he was young in his career, one of the big things he stated when he was playing was he just wanted to play the game, and he’s allowed minorities like myself to just go ahead and play the game.”

Theegala had made the cut in 5 prior appearances at The Genesis Invitational, with a tie for sixth standing as his sole top-10 end at the event.

“There’s no other ramifications surrounded by that. Just hope I can do my part to keep his memory alive and all the hard work that he did for us to keep that going. But yeah, I’m just so, so pumped to be here. I only found out maybe Wednesday of last week. I got the call from Mike and was super, super honored.

“My buddy — truly a couple of my buddies have gotten this, but I bear in mind vividly my buddy Aaron Beverly getting it and how cool that was for him and even how cool it was for me.

“We had another one of our buddies caddying for him so I knew how special that was, and for me to get that was such a huge deal.”

Theegala, a one-time PGA Tour winner at the 2023 Procore Championship, had recorded two top-10 finishes across 5 begins during the current season.