ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

March 8, 2026

Sahith Theegala

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Quick Quotes

Q. Do you feel like you built some momentum this week?

SAHITH THEEGALA: For sure. For sure. I really did play pretty well at Riv. Just, when the conditions are soft like that it's, I feel like, I feel like the best part of my game is my short game and it was a lot easier to get up and down around there. So I felt like I played well, but I kind of shot the same as everybody else. I still had a great week, finished 24th or whatever it was. But yeah, this week was big. I played some really, really nice golf. Just got to figure out how to get one of the really bad round. If I could just make that a 72 or 73 it's definitely a different story come today. But, yeah, super pumped about this week. A lot of momentum. Definitely saw some things with my ball striking that I can take forward into some of these tougher tracks. Yeah, just kind of maintain that focus, I seem to have here, when I'm on, just for the rest of the year. But it's really nice to play really well at a very difficult golf course.

Q. Speaking of which, next week is no push over either. When you think from a legacy perspective, from a prestige perspective, what comes to mind for you when you hear THE PLAYERS?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I know there's a lot of talks about it being a fifth major and I don't know necessarily if it should be another major, but it sure feels like it to me. When I'm there the energy's pretty palpable. Just the air's a little bit different. I don't think guys are grinding harder, necessarily, but everybody knows it's a bigger event than the other events. But it's also one of the easiest weeks for the players logistically. One of the best dinings, courtesy cars there, staying on property. So it's an incredible week. It's a scary golf course. It's very stressful because you know if you play well you can shoot really low out there, there's a lot of birdie holes. But there's a double bogey waiting on every other hole it seems like. Yeah, it's definitely a huge one. It's one of those events where you win it, it's something that -- I mean, you win any PGA TOUR event, nobody really forgets it. But you win THE PLAYERS, nobody's forgetting that you won THE PLAYERS. So it's a huge deal and it's always one that -- I'm just glad I'm in the field this year.

Q. If inevitably somehow it is decreed a major championship would you be okay with that?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Oh, yeah, I would be okay with that. I, well, actually, I haven't really thought -- obviously there's been a lot of discourse about it. I would say it's almost unnecessary to make it a fifth major. I think one of the beauties of the majors, and not to knock on the Champs Tour on the LPGA, but the four majors just seems like it almost heightens it to another level. A major is a major, and if there's a fifth major, that's awesome. But just with the history and the numbers that we've had -- I know the U. S. Amateur counted as major. And did the British Am count as a major at one point, or was it just the U. S. Amateur? Yeah. Actually, I take it back. I don't know -- I mean, I would be fine with it, but I wouldn't be like super pro for having it be a fifth major. I mean, I love the event, awesome event. Again, the feeling you get on the weekend there. A couple years ago I was in third or fourth to last group, and it felt like it was one of the last groups at a major. So it's a great, it's obviously a great event. Does it need to be a fifth major? Not really.

Q. How does the atmosphere at this tournament compare to some others?

SAHITH THEEGALA: It's awesome. I haven't played in Palm Beach, but this week and Jax and the Tampa crowd is always awesome. It's like the right amount of rowdy. A lot of people obviously here in Orlando, the population is a lot larger. But great energy. I had people cheering me on every single hole the last four days. That doesn't happen at every event. So it's pretty cool.

Q. You said just the amount of rowdy, not like the Phoenix Open rowdy?

SAHITH THEEGALA: No, no, they don't. Not even close.

Q. But a good amount.

SAHITH THEEGALA: But, yeah, people are having fun. That's what you like to see out here.