Two rising young stars from California colleges team up for 2023 Zurich Classic
Sahith Theegala and Justin Suh played on the victorious 2018 Palmer Cup team that included Collin Morikawa and Davis Riley
NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 11, 2023)—Sahith Theegala and Justin Suh, two California collegiate stars new to the PGA Tour, are teaming up for the 2023 Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Sahith and Justin are two of the most promising young players on the Tour,” said Worthy. “Sahith is in the top 30 in the world rankings, had a top 10 finish in his first Masters, and has already won an unofficial team tournament. Justin contended with a top ten in The Players Championship last month and was Korn Ferry Player of the Year in 2022 ,” Worthy added.
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 Haksins Award, the Ben Hogan Award and the Jack Nicklaus Award, only the fifth college player to win all three in the same year.
In his first PGA Tour tournament in June 2020, he took 14th in the Safeway Open and secured his card for the 2021-2022 season by finishing sixth in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
In only 15 events so far this season, he has finished in the top 25 eight times and in the top 10 six times. His best place this season was a tie for second in the RSM Classic. He finished a solo ninth in this year’s Masters.
Partnered with Tom Hoge, he won the unofficial QBE Shootout in December, 2022. He has already risen to 28th in the world rankings.
Justin Suh has recorded two top 10 finishes this season, a tie for fifth at the Honda Classic and a tie for sixth at The Players Championship.
He hit number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2018-19, playing for University of Southern California. While at Southern Cal, he represented the U.S. in the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy together with Cole Hammer and Collin Morikawa, winning the silver medal.
Both Suh and Theegala played on the U.S. 2018 Arnold Palmer team that prevailed over the International team. The Arnold Palmer Cup is competed with teams comprised of both women and men players.
Suh won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship last year to earn his PGA Tour card after posting eight top-10 finishes in 22 starts on that tour. He was voted Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year.
He finished 11th in the 2021 Zurich Classic, teamed with Doug Ghim, who played for the University of Texas before turning pro.
The 2023 Zurich Classic field includes four of the top 10 players in the world to lead another strong field:
- Defending champions Patrick Cantlay, ranked fourth in the world, and Xander Schauffele, ranked sixth have entered.
- They join last year’s runner-up team of Billy Horschel, ranked 26th with Sam Burns, who vaulted to 10th in the world after winning the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship.
- Collin Morikawa, ranked 11th in the world has entered to play with Max Homa, ranked seventh.
- 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, ranked 16th in the world, will team with his brother Alex.