"Patrick Reed would never"; "What a legend" - Fans laud Sahith Theegala's decision to self-report a penalty, calls out 'dumb rule'

Fans lauded Sahith Theegala for his gentlemanly attitude after he self-reported a two-stroke penalty during the third round of the 2024 Tour Championship. During Saturday's round of the ongoing FedEx Cup playoffs event, Theegala realized on the third hole that his club had touched the sand during his backswing, and he alerted rules official Mike Stiller about the incident.

Although there was no footage of the incident, Sahith Theegala admitted that his club hit the sand and was subsequently given a two-stroke penalty. The PGA Tour shared a video of the golfer discussing the ruling in an interview with NBC.

"“Your intuition as a golfer is very rarely wrong.” Sahith Theegala reflects on his self-reported two-stroke penalty this afternoon."

His gesture received widespread appreciation from golf fans, one of whom called him a "legend."

"What a legend… and what a lame a** rule," a fan wrote.

Meanwhile, some fans compared it to professional golfer Patrick Reed, who has reportedly faced allegations of cheating and theft during his time studying at the University of Georgia.

"Patrick Reed would never," another fan wrote.

Sahith Theegala was penalized for violating Rule 12.2b, which addresses the ball in bunkers. However, one fan called it a "dumb rule."

"A dumb rule that won’t matter because he will lose the tourney due to an even more dumb rule with the starting handicap lol gotta love pga," a fan commented.

Another fan praised Sahith Theegala for his fair-play attitude in the game.

"Pretty honorable man right there!!," another fan jotted.

Here are more fans reactions:

Fans' reaction (Image via X/@PGATOUR)

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Sahith Theegala shoots 66 in Saturday round at Tour Championship

Theegala's penalty on the third hole in Saturday's round had a negative impact on his game, but despite that, he managed to deliver a strong performance and shot a fabulous round of 5-under 66 on Saturday.

Theegala had an amazing start on Saturday with a par on the first hole and then carded a birdie on the next. But the penalty on the third resulted in him settling for a double bogey on the hole. However, after struggling on the front nine, Sahith Theegala had an impressive comeback on the back nine.

He shot seven birdies on the back nine along with a bogey on the 13th. With a total score of 17-under, Theegala settled in solo third place. He will tee off for the final round, trailing nine strokes behind tournament leader Scottie Scheffler.

Collin Morikawa settled in second place with a score of 21-under. Xander Schauffele shot 71 on Saturday and slipped down one position on the leaderboard to secure fourth place. Wyndham Clark and Adam Scott tied for fifth place at 15-under.

The 2024 Tour Championship will conclude with the finale on Sunday, September 1, at the East Lake Golf Club.