Hilton Head Island (USA), April 17 (IANS) Sahith Theegala opened his campaign at the RBC Heritage with a 2-under 69, leaving him tied for 27th in the USD 20 million Signature event. While he trails leader Ludvig Åberg of Sweden by six shots, the round began on a strong note, with Theegala picking up three birdies in his first four holes and four in the opening seven.

The other two players of Indian origin in the field, Akshay Bhatia and Sudarshan Yellamaraju, had slower starts. Bhatia posted a 2-over 73 to sit tied for 65th, while Yellamaraju carded a 3-over 74, placing him tied for 70th.

Theegala began with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes but dropped a shot on the third. He responded quickly with another birdie on the fourth and added further gains on the seventh and ninth, reaching 4-under at the turn in a strong position.

The back nine proved more challenging. Bogeys on the 10th, 11th, and 18th holes offset a lone birdie on the 15th, brought him back to a 2-under finish for the day.

Bhatia’s round featured three bogeys and a single birdie, continuing a difficult stretch following The Players Championship, with missed cuts at both the Hero Indian Open and The Masters.

Yellamaraju had a tough start with a triple bogey on his opening hole. Though he managed one birdie soon after, a bogey on the 14th saw him slip further, ending the round at 3-over.

At the top of the leaderboard, Ludvig Åberg continued his consistent run of form, chasing a third PGA Tour title. He fired a bogey-free 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead. Harris English and Viktor Hovland are close behind after both shot 7-under 64.

Scottie Scheffler, coming off a runner-up finish at The Masters, returned a 3-under 68 to sit tied for 20th. FedEx Cup leader Cameron Young opened with an even-par 71, placing him tied for 54th.

Defending champion Justin Thomas struggled in his first round, carding a 5-over 76 to fall to tied 80th on the leaderboard.

--IANS

bc/