Sahith Theegala’s girlfriend, Juju Julianna, playfully “complained” about not flying private after her boyfriend’s $7.5 million payday at the Tour Championship. The swimmer shared a lighthearted TikTok video from their commercial flight home, expressing her surprise at the lack of extra space despite Theegala’s major earnings.
Over the weekend, Theegala made headlines when he called a two-shot penalty on himself during the Tour Championship at East Lake. While playing his approach on the third hole, Theegala believed he had disturbed his lie in a fairway bunker during his backswing. After consulting with his playing partner Xander Schauffele and a rules official, the footage couldn’t confirm whether he had moved the sand. Despite the uncertainty, Theegala’s honesty cost him $2.5 million in prize money, as he would have tied for third place with Collin Morikawa if not for the penalty.
Theegala and Juju later posted a TikTok video where he explained his decision. He shared that he trusted his instinct, believing he had moved some grains of sand. “At the end of the day, I’ve played so much golf,” he said. “You kind of just trust your intuition and gut, and right away, I thought I moved some sand there.” Although disappointed by the unfortunate rule, Theegala accepted the penalty and moved on.
Now ranked a career-high 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Theegala has qualified for the upcoming Presidents Cup and is poised for a potential Ryder Cup debut next year if he continues his strong performance.
