If you take a look inside Sahith Theegala‘s bag, you’ll find more than one surprise. For example, he doesn’t use a 3-wood, sometimes he includes a 5 or a 9, and occasionally opts for a 2-hybrid with a rather closed setup that he calls “Franken-hybred“. However, this isn’t his main quirk. The 27-year-old Californian once decided to cross off a golf club and swears he will never use it again in his life…
You know how golf is, everyone has their quirks and superstitions. The most curious thing is that Theegala’s issue is with a club that we could call basic in any golf bag. In fact, it’s the tool with which many children and adults start playing this sport.
Indeed, you’ve guessed it, the club that has been given the death penalty by Theegala is the 7-iron, the very one placed in the hands of any beginner to gradually uncover the intricate secrets of the swing. Apparently, for Theegala, it has only brought problems.
The powerful PGA Tour player explained it naturally in an interview with Golf Channel during the Sentry Tournament. “It’s very simple. It’s the least favourite club in the bag since I was a kid. I swear, I never hit it in competition and every time I’ve had one in my hands on a par 3, it was, ‘oh God, just hit the green,'” he noted with a laugh.
One day, Theegala found the solution to his problems, as there were times when, due to distance, it was the club he needed to hit. He decided to ‘tweak’ an 8-iron, close it a bit, and use it as a 7-iron, but with the number 8 on the sole, albeit in a slightly different font to avoid confusing it with the real one.
Thus, if you look inside Theegala’s bag, you’ll discover he doesn’t have a 7-iron and instead uses two 8-irons. The conclusion is very simple. Forget complexes, amateur player. If there’s a club that has been challenging over the years, seek solutions and alternatives; the world doesn’t end by not having a 7-iron in the bag.
Similarly, Theegala revealed that he is considering the possibility of using two drivers in his bag in upcoming tournaments. “I really like golf, I like to have fun, and I really enjoy trying different things. I do it a lot with friends. Experimenting is always entertaining,” he explains.
By the way, with or without a 7-iron in his bag, the reality is that things aren’t going very well for Theegala this week at the Sentry. He is in 48th place after starting the tournament with a round of 76 strokes.
