Sahith Theegala showed his class by calling a PGA Tour official over and admitting his penalty during the 2024 Tour Championship, with the class move ultimately costing himself millions

Sahith Theegala finished third in the Tour Championship last year, but could have scored a higher finish without a two-stroke penalty(Image: Getty Images)

Sathith Theegala told PGA Tour officials that he violated a rule and deserved a two-shot penalty at the 2024 Tour Championship — and it cost him $2.5 million.

While the Ryder Cup is on the horizon for the top golf stars, the Tour Championship is in full swing. Scottie Scheffler is the favorite after winning the BMW Championship last week and maintaining his elite form.

Scheffler won the Tour Championship in 2024 and seeks to defend his crown. The 29-year-old beat out Collin Morikawa by four shots at East Lake, while Theegala finished third following a seven-under final round—but it was his third-round 66, which featured a two-shot penalty, that proved costly.

In the third round of the Tour Championship, Theegala claimed his backswing clipped the sand in the bunker on the third hole. This would violate Rule 12.2b, which prevents players from testing the sand.

Many players have called penalties on themselves, but video footage did not confirm whether Theegala had actually done anything. His error was unnoticeable; even NBC Sports analyst Kevin Kisner claimed that the American should ask for his two strokes back at the end of his round.

“Intuition, it felt like I moved the sand,” Theegala said. “It was sitting in my mind. If I went back after the round, looked that up, and found out that it was a two-shot penalty, I would be DQ’d right now. So I am glad I brought it up right away. I know the rules of golf a little bit better now.

“There is a lot of silly stuff you can do in the bunker. You can chuck a club in the bunker… you can use your golf club as a stand in the bunker. As long as it’s not right next to your ball. There’s a lot of things you can do. But unfortunately if it’s in the area affecting the lie and the swing of your shot, regardless of intent, it’s a two-shot penalty.”

Sahith Theegala’s playing partner Xander Schauffele was not sure he violated any rules(Image: Getty Images)

He added: “In my peripheral, I thought I saw some of the sand move as I took my backswing.”

Theegala immediately told playing partner Xander Schauffele, who wasn’t sure it was a penalty without intent. However, the 27-year-old was adamant that the intent didn’t matter, as he inadvertently changed the lie in the direct area around the ball, affecting his swing.

Still, even Theegala had some doubts in his mind regarding the whole incident. He later said: “I’d sleep a lot better if I saw some clear image of me moving the sand.”

Following Theegala’s discussion with the official, he tallied seven birdies on the back nine to move into third place. He made $7.5 million for his third-place finish, though with two fewer shots, he would have earned $10 million and tied Morikawa for second place.

The Tour Championship takes place at East Lake from Aug. 21-24.