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Sports<\/a>Golf<\/a><\/p>\n Sudarshan Yellamaruja has taken one of the most unlikely, incomprehensible paths to the pinnacle of the sport.<\/p>\n Get the latest from Jon McCarthy straight to your inbox Sign Up <\/p>\n Published Mar 15, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 7\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 5 minute read<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. \u2014 Next time a parent tells their child to get their nose out of a device and do something more productive, they might be reminded of the story of Sudarshan Yellamaraju.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The Canadian PGA Tour rookie, who learned the game by watching YouTube, conquered TPC Sawgrass on Saturday with a bogey-free 66 to reach five-under for the week and fly up the leaderboard at the Players Championship. At the conclusion of the third round, he was in a group tied for 19th place, eight strokes behind leader Ludvig Aberg.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Asked what part of his game he was most pleased with, the answer was simple: \u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFour straight birdies was pretty cool,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n No golf lessons. No college. Born in India. Raised in Canada. On golf\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n Yellamaruja has taken one of the most unlikely, incomprehensible paths to the pinnacle of the sport. Yet, listening to him, none of the journey seems the least bit surprising to him. He is well-spoken, sharp, and exudes a maturity beyond his 24 years.<\/p>\n Monday Morning Golf<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going to get many tougher courses than this,\u201d he told Postmedia after Saturday\u2019s round. \u201cAnd if I can shoot this type of round like I did and stay in control like I did, that\u2019s pretty good and I can do it anywhere. But golf is golf and you never know what might happen tomorrow so you just have to stay focused and play the best I can.\u201d<\/p>\n That answer could have come from any PGA Tour pro, but the rest of his story can not.<\/p>\n After emigrating with his family from India to Winnipeg at age four, Sudarshan took up golf at six years old at the local golf dome where he used rental clubs to introduce himself to the sport. Golf domes anywhere, let alone in Winnipeg, are rarely known for the quality of their rental sets, which Yellamraju described as heavy men\u2019s clubs with tiny heads.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n After getting his own set at nine years old, he entered his first tournament. Two years later, the family moved to Mississauga. By 16 years old, he was the Ontario Amateur Champion. At 19, he skipped the U.S. college route and turned pro.<\/p>\n With no golf lessons.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d just watch YouTube videos of Tiger, Rory, Adam Scott, anybody really,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d watch on TV too, but when you\u2019re watching live you can\u2019t really stop it and watch it over and over. I just like to watch various players and just find little tidbits to see what I can do and just feel it out and see what works for me.\u201d<\/p>\n So that\u2019s what Sudarshan and his father Suresh did. Over and over. Day by day. Video after video. Trying to learn the world\u2019s most frustrating game all on their own by watching YouTube.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d watch how on the range they\u2019re hitting in a certain way and on the course they are hitting it a different way. Me and my dad, we just learnt the game that way, it was a lot of trial and error, that\u2019s what it was,\u201d he said. \u201cSome things worked, some things didn\u2019t. And we had to figure out what parts of the swing worked for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Sudarshan wasn\u2019t drawn to instructional videos, preferring to watch Tiger Woods and company in tournaments or on the driving range. There was no schedule, no particular plan. Just the knowledge that somewhere in these videos were answers.<\/p>\n \u201cLike I said, a lot of trial and error, just watching videos and from there I\u2019d take a club and try to do what I saw and see how it feels for me. That would be at home,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then at the course or on the range I\u2019d try to remember those things and implement them and see how it goes and feels, and see what works.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n No lessons. Ever. To this day. Not even now that he\u2019s on the PGA Tour with two top-20 finishes and access to the greatest minds in a sport that has become dominated by technology and obsessed with quantifying every aspect of the swing.<\/p>\n \u201cNope, nope,\u201d he said about still never having had a lesson or a coach. Allowing himself a small laugh when he saw his slightly stunned interviewer.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I mean I\u2019m a feel player,\u201d he added. \u201cSo, I know if I\u2019m hitting one direction too much I\u2019m just going to figure out how to change it. Or some days you just figure out you\u2019re playing one shot shape more than usual, and you just have to stick with it.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso at the same time, on the range is on the range, and on the course is what matters. And on the course you\u2019re going to have to play all sorts of different shots. How you\u2019re hitting it on the range doesn\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n How Yellamaraju was hitting it on the course on Saturday\u2019s front nine was just about perfect, making four consecutive birdies to inject some excitement into the gallery during the early portion of moving day at the tour\u2019s flagship event.<\/p>\n \u201cI think especially because Scottie (Scheffler) was playing in front of me and Rory was a couple groups behind so there was a lot of people out there,\u201d He said. \u201cAnd I think they saw I was playing well and stuck around to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n In some ways this week is a home game for Yellamaraju, who rents an apartment in nearby Jax Beach, which might be the first normal part of his PGA Tour journey. But the rest of the story of the unlikely Canadian rookie is a breath of fresh air in a sport that can, at times, get a little stuffy.<\/p>\n \u201cI hadn\u2019t played my best game all year so far and I just had to stay patient and today I finally felt good,\u201d He said. \u201cNow I just have to keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n In this age of YouTube golf creating media stars, a Sudarshan Yellamaraju Road to the PGA Tour video lesson plan could be worth millions. But for now, the playlist will stay between him and his father.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really like or subscribe to any videos,\u201d he said. \u201cI just know which ones I want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This section is Presented This section was produced by the editorial department. 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Golfer Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Canada. Photo by Kevin C. Cox \/Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.7.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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