La Quinta (California), Jan 25 (IANS) Sahith Theegala continued his steady climb up the leaderboard with another composed round at the American Express, firing a 5-under 67 on the third day to move into the Top-25.
The Indian-origin American, seeking early momentum in a season after a disappointing 2025, is now 14-under par and tied 24th after three rounds of 71-64-68, a dramatic turnaround from his opening-round position of tied 118th.
At the top of the leaderboard, Korea’s Si Woo Kim surged into the lead after a 6-under 66 at La Quinta Country Club to reach 22-under 194. He holds a one-shot advantage over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and 18-year-old Blades Brown, who are tied second.
Brown closed his round in spectacular fashion with three consecutive birdies, while Scheffler battled tougher conditions on the Pete Dye Stadium Course to card a 68 that included two bogeys.
Theegala, who had two eagles in the second round, produced another eagle in the third. He began brightly with birdies on the second and fourth holes before dropping a shot on the fifth.
A birdie on the ninth steadied the round, and for the second consecutive day he picked up an eagle on the par-5 11th. Though he gave one back with a bogey on the 12th, birdies on the 14th and 16th ensured he signed for a solid 67 and was well placed heading into the final day.
It was a mixed day for other players of Indian origin. Akshay Bhatia endured a difficult round of 78 and missed the 54-hole cut, finishing at 1-under for the week.
Bhatia started promisingly with three birdies and a bogey in his first eight holes, but his round unravelled with a triple bogey on the ninth followed by a quadruple bogey on the 10th.
Further trouble came with a double bogey on the par-3 13th.
Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju also fell just short of the cut line despite a round of 68.
He finished the week at 10-under par, one shot outside the cut, after failing to find the extra birdie he needed over the final five holes.
Kim, Scheffler and Brown will form the final group for Sunday’s closing round on the Stadium Course, widely regarded as the most demanding of the three venues used during the opening days.
Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Eric Cole sit two shots back after rounds of 66, while Tom Hoge is another stroke behind following a 65. With nine players separated by just four shots, the tournament is set for a tightly contested finish.
–IANS
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