Watch: Sahith Theegala's remarkable eagle from 167 yards at the 2023 BMW Championship

The first day of the BMW Championship has provided several memorable moments, but one of the most spectacular belongs to Sahith Theegala. The American climbed to the top of the leaderboard in one stroke with an excellent demonstration of his quality.

Sahith Theegala reached the 14th hole (451 yards, par 4) with a score of -2 that kept him in close pursuit of the leaders. There, he hit an excellent 284-yard drive, placed exactly in the center of the fairway.

The ball was 167 yards from the hole and Theegala decided to go for the green and, if possible, the eagle. The strategy worked wonders for him, as he hit the perfect iron shot to achieve the goal.

Theegala gave his shot the necessary height and spin to take the ball to within a foot of the hole. In fact, the spin on the ball was so strong that it lifted a piece of the green as it touched down and entered the hole on the second bounce.

That shot gave Sahith Theegala a -4 score that put him temporarily in the lead, tied with Matt Fitzpatrick. The American made par on his last four holes and went to rest leading the leaderboard, albeit with the second half of the round still in progress.

Sahith Theegala at the 2023 BMW Championship

Theegala started strong in the first round of the BMW Championship, making back-to-back birdies on his first two holes. After that, everything went smoothly, he bogeyed the 6th and made another birdie on the 11th.

Of course, the highlight of the day for Theegala was the spectacular eagle on the 14th, which boosted his final score. At the time of his day's finish, he was leading in Stroke Gained: Tee to Green and Stroke Gained: Total.

Sahith Theegala, 25, has been a professional since 2020. This is his second outing in the BMW Championship. Last year, he finished T15 with a 7-under 277. That performance was enough for him to qualify for his first TOUR Championship, where he finished 28th.

Currently, Theegala is ranked 31st in the FedEx Cup rankings. He needs a good finish at the BMW Championship to qualify for the Tour Championship for the second consecutive year.