SAHITH THEEGALA AND AARON RAI PAIR UP AGAIN FOR 2026 ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

 NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 2, 2026)—Sahith Theegala and Aaron Rai will team again to play the 2026 Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“This is a strong team, each of whom has already won on the Tour,” said Worthy. “They also have some history at our event. We are thrilled to have them back together in New Orleans, ” Worthy added.

So far in 2026, Theegala has scored four top-10 finishes already, including a tie for sixth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He currently ranks 19^th in FedExCup points.

Theegala enjoyed his best season on the PGA Tour in 2024, finishing third in FedExCup standings. He recorded nine top-10s with two runner-up finishes that year.

He started 2024 fast with a second at The Sentry in Hawaii to open the season. He took fifth in the WM Phoenix Open, tied for sixth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and tied for ninth in The Players Championship. He closed out the year with a solo third in the Tour Championship, firing a 64 in the final round.

He qualified as a rookie for one of the six guaranteed spots on the 2024 Presidents Cup team based on FedExCup points during the year. He posted a record of 1-1-1 in the U.S. 18.5-11.5 victory over the International team at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.

He broke through with his first title at the 2023 Fortinet Championship. In his first PGA Tour tournament in June 2020, he took 14^th in the Safeway Open and secured his card for the 2021-2022 season by finishing sixth in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.  He reached 11^th in the Official World Golf Rankings in 2024.

Theegala was a three-time All-American at Pepperdine University. His collegiate career was cut short by the 2020 Covid-19 suspension of competition, when his team was ranked first in the U.S. In 2020 he was awarded the Haskins Award, the Ben Hogan Award and the Jack Nicklaus Award, only the fifth college player to win all three in the same year.

Aaron Rai, who hails from Wolverhampton, England, won the 2024 Wyndham Championship for his first PGA Tour victory since joining the Tour in 2022. He has also posted six international wins on his professional record, including the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship when he defeated Tommy Fleetwood in the playoff for the victory.

He posted ten top-25 finishes in 2025. His best finish was a tie for fourth in the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld. He also tied for fifth at the Wyndham Championship last year.

In addition to his title at the Wyndham Championship, he scored a total of six top-10 and 13 top-25 finishes during the 2024 season.  He reached 20^th in the Official World Golf Rankings in 2024.

In the Zurich Classic, his best finish was a tie for fourth in the 2022 tournament, teamed with David Lipsky. He has made top-25 finishes in all four tries at the Zurich Classic.

About Fore!Kids Foundation:

Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and several charitable golf tournaments.

In 2025, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated a record $3.6 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas. Charitable contributions have been rising in recent years:

• $3.6 million in 2025
• Over $24.6 million to charities in last 10 years
• Over $55 million to charities since inception

More information at www.zurichgolfclassic.com

About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

Zurich Insurance has sponsored the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for 22 years, one of the longest title sponsor relationships on the PGA Tour. The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest-ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.

The Zurich Classic has over a $59 million annual economic impact to the regional economy. With 51 hours of total television coverage on Golf Channel and CBS, a total of 20.94 million viewers tuned in to watch the tournament.

Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is available across 148 countries and territories via local broadcast partners, and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the days of professional competition.

The tournament will be played April 20-26, 2026 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2026 totals a record $9.5 million.

All tickets to the 2026 Zurich Classic will be mobile entry only. Day-specific grounds tickets are only $45. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $185 per day. The Walk-On’s Back Nine Club offers close-up viewing at the 17^th hole in the only two-story, air-conditioned tent on the course. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com