sudarshan yellamaraju, a PGA Tour rookie, opened Round 3 at THE PLAYERS with four straight birdies on Saturday to reach 4-under on the day and 3-under overall, coming back from a position where he had been in danger of missing the weekend at TPC Sawgrass.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju’s Saturday Surge
Yellamaraju began his third-round tee time at 9: 35 am ET and immediately went to work, stringing together four consecutive birdies to vault into the weekend competition. Earlier in the week he had mounted a late charge in the second round—birdieing three of his final five holes—and was set to make the cut at one-over par before Saturday’s hot start.
The rookie left-hander has been a storyline beyond his play this week: he learned much of his game by watching YouTube videos with his father, studied the swings of established stars, and has never had a formal swing lesson. He turned professional at 19 and has progressed through junior, amateur, mini tours, PGA Tour Canada and Korn Ferry Tour to earn PGA Tour status and his first appearance at THE PLAYERS.
Four Canadians Advance; Two Miss Weekend
Four of the six Canadians in the field finished inside the cut line and will play the final two rounds at TPC Sawgrass. In addition to Yellamaraju, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Nick Taylor all secured weekend starts. Conners will tee off at 2: 25 pm ET and enters play tied for fourth at 8-under through 36 holes. Nick Taylor tees off at 10: 50 am ET after finishing two shots inside the cut line following a stretch of 14 straight pars. Pendrith, who rebounded with a 3-under 69 on Friday after a 2-over opening round, is scheduled to start at 11: 00 am ET.
Mackenzie Hughes and A. J. Ewart finished outside the cut line and will not continue on the weekend.
What’s Next At TPC Sawgrass
The PGA Tour’s flagship event runs from March 10–15 and features a strong international field. The Canadians who made the cut are guaranteed a share of the tournament’s massive $25 million purse as play continues through Sunday. Yellamaraju will look to build on his Saturday momentum when he tees off for his third round, joined by his countrymen as the tournament moves into its decisive final two days.
