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Eleven-year-old Sudarshan Yellamarju at the Tuxedo Golf Club after he won the Junior Bantam Championship 12 & under division back in 2012.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t long before he was gifted a set of left-handed Nike clubs modelled after his idol.<\/p>\n
The family spent seven years in Winnipeg before moving to Ontario, where his father found a new job in the IT sector. Yellamaraju\u2019s game blossomed in his teens, highlighted by a victory at the 2017 Ontario Amateur as a 16-year-old \u2014 the youngest player in the field.<\/p>\n
Three years later, he turned pro, forgoing the traditional college route due to a lack of scholarship opportunities. He eventually earned his card on the PGA Tour Canada (now known as PGA Tour Americas). He returned to Winnipeg in 2022 to compete in the Manitoba Open and, by 2024, had graduated to the Korn Ferry Tour.<\/p>\n
Last season, he earned US$97,550 and finished 99th overall, which meant only retaining conditional status. But this year, he truly broke through \u2014 winning his first event at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, adding a tie for third and a fourth-place finish, and earning US$366,201 overall. That performance secured his promotion to the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been so many Canadians go up there (to the PGA) and have success, especially in the last few years. It feels cool to be able to join them,\u201d said Yellamaraju, who quite literally shows his pride by using a toonie as a ball marker.<\/p>\n
It nearly didn\u2019t happen. His season came down to the wire last Sunday at the final Korn Ferry Tour event of the year in Indiana.<\/p>\n
Yellamaraju entered the tournament ranked 20th on the points list, with the top 20 earning PGA Tour cards. But an opening-round 73 put him on the wrong side of the line. Over the next four days, he bounced in and out of the top 20, right down to the final few holes. He ultimately finished the tournament at two-under, good for 19th overall.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Nathan Denette \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Sudarshan Yellamaraju had a breakthrough season on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning his first event at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic and finishing in the top 20 in the last Korn Ferry tourney last Sunday to secure his PGA Tour card.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cIdeally, I would have had my card wrapped up with maybe two or three events left. But that\u2019s not how it goes sometimes. It went pretty much all the way down to the final shot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s kind of how it\u2019s gone for my career so far. Grind it out, and when the back is kind of against the wall, try to get things done. But, yeah, a couple bad shots, a couple mistakes, and nerves were kicking in. I still figure out a way. Obviously very, very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting that first win back in January provided a huge confidence boost that set the tone for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI always knew I could play well and win. But once you actually do it, it\u2019s huge,\u201d said Yellamaraju.<\/p>\n \u201cThe job\u2019s kind of only started now. I have to go out there and play well so that I can stay out there and hopefully compete on the Tour for as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI always knew I could play well and win. But once you actually do it, it\u2019s huge\u201d<\/p>\n Among his biggest supporters is Winnipegger Derek Ingram, who works with Yellamaraju as head coach of Golf Canada\u2019s National Men\u2019s Amateur and Young Pro Teams.<\/p>\n \u201cSudarshan has had a unique journey as it relates to getting to the PGA Tour,\u201d said Ingram. \u201cThe most important thing is that he and his family never wavered from that plan and it\u2019s turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n Yellamaraju joins Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie Hughes and Nick Taylor \u2014 who was born in Winnipeg but moved to B.C. at age three \u2014 as full-time Canadian PGA Tour members. He\u2019ll be the youngest of the group.<\/p>\n More Canadian content could be on the way. Adam Hadwin, Adam Svensson and Ben Silverman had their cards for 2025 but are still battling to retain them during the final fall stretch.<\/p>\n \u201c(Yellamaraju) has got a very bright future in the game. He\u2019s got a very high golf IQ and a game that\u2019s more suited for success on the PGA Tour than the Korn Ferry tour,\u201d said Ingram, who is a personal coach to both Conners and Pendrith.<\/p>\n \u201cHe hits it long and straight and is very consistent. And he\u2019s easy to coach because he\u2019s open to learning.\u201d<\/p>\n Yellamaraju is expected to make his first start as a full-time PGA Tour member in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Until then, he hopes to play a few late fall or early winter events through qualifying or sponsor exemptions to stay sharp.<\/p>\n There will also be a bit of time for reflection on just how far he\u2019s come \u2014 though his focus remains on what\u2019s still ahead.<\/p>\n \u201cEven just playing the Manitoba Open back in 2022 feels like a long time ago,\u201d said Yellamaraju, who tied for fifth that year. He was back again in 2023, finished tied for 25th.<\/p>\n \u201cMy game has changed a lot since then and I\u2019ve learned a lot, on and off the course. I\u2019ve grown a lot, and I still have a lot to learn. I\u2019m still so focused on where I want to go. But the journey so far has been pretty cool, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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