The conventional pattern of achieving the top of professional golf is not the only means of success at TPC Sawgrass, and Sudarshan Yellamaraju is demonstrating it.

The young rookie has just demonstrated his huge potential by playing the 2026 PLAYERS Championship and holding on in a long week to earn an unexpected top-ten finish.

"I mean, that's how I wanted to play the game," Yellamaraju said. "It was a lot of trial and error, so we had to learn kind of and figure out what worked for us."

The spotlight turned to the 24-year-old Canadian after he worked hard to make the cut and raised his ranking all the way up after an inspired performance over the weekend.

The rookie explained, "I'm just practicing by myself, it's just me, and I'm just feeling it out," explaining why he never called on a pro instructor. "It's not easy to have a coach kind of be there with you for however many hours in a day, right, every single day."

Yellamaraju finished the Players Championship in a tie for 5th place with Ludvig Aberg and Jacob Bridgeman. He didn't have the best of starts, finishing the first couple of rounds with 1-par 72 and on par.

However, Yellamaraju started an inspirational comeback in the final two rounds, hitting 6 birdies in the 3rd round, and finished 4-under par in the final round.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju Went From Rental Clubs to Competing Against Tiger Woods

"I always want to go and win every tournament, but that's not realistically possible." Yellamaraju remained calm in the tense atmosphere of the flagship event of the PGA Tour.

He started his career in Winnipeg, where he worked at a dome indoor golf course with steel-shafted rental clubs that were too long and had small heads.

The golfer famously taught himself his swing by watching YouTube videos of the greats, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Adam Scott, and this week, he got to compete against his idols.

Referring to sharing the course with the greats, he said, "I think sometimes I don't, I think I don't realize, I still don't feel like I realize I'm out here because I'm so focused on just playing."

His father, an IT professional, helped him progress by explaining the similarities between the two sports, namely cricket and golf, such as weight transfer, and how this would help them in each sport.

"My dad would be the one who would be pretty much there, kind of seeing what he can do to improve in the game."

Following an impressive performance in the 2026 Players Championship, Yellamaraju's focus shifts to the Valspar Championship, which starts on March 19, at the Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Kalp Thaker