Yellamaraju Shines at The Players: Top 10 and Ranking Rise

Sudarshan Yellamaraju: The Canadian Revelation at the Players Championship

Canadian golfer Sudarshan Yellamaraju, known for his “feel” game, has achieved a significant milestone in his career. The PGA Tour rookie shone at the Players Championship held at TPC Sawgrass, securing his first top 10 on the circuit. Yellamaraju finished the last round with a score of 4 under par (68 strokes), culminating the tournament with a total of 9 under par (279 strokes) in 72 holes. This performance earned him a meritorious tie for fifth position, just four strokes behind the winner, Cameron Young.

“It was a long week. I am very happy with how everything went. After struggling to make the cut, I just wanted to play my best golf on the weekend. I think I exceeded my expectations,” declared Yellamaraju.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju

The trajectory of this 24-year-old golfer is unusual. Born in India, he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, at age 4. He started playing golf at age 6, using rental clubs with steel shafts. At age 9, he already had his own set of clubs, and although he recorded 101 strokes in his first competitive round, he has since shown remarkable improvement. Yellamaraju and his father, Suresh, learned by watching videos of figures like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, among other professionals. “It was a process of trial and error, we had to learn and discover what worked for us,” explained Yellamaraju. “I feel that for me, what I feel is what I feel. At the end of the day, you have to play golf and just play what you can.” At 16, he won the Ontario Amateur Open. He chose not to attend university and spent two years on the PGA Tour Canada circuit and two more on the Korn Ferry Tour. After earning his first professional victory at the 2025 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, he finished 19th on the Korn Ferry Tour season points list, earning him one of the 20 PGA Tour cards awarded. Yellamaraju doesn’t have a full-time swing coach. He relies on his caddie, Joel Kraft, and his father, who records his swings. His father, although he occasionally plays golf, has a background in cricket, which provides him with an understanding of swing mechanics.

The golfer has made the cut in five of his first six events of the season and will surely move up in the world ranking, currently in 216th place, after his outstanding performance at the Players Championship. “We see what they do. He sees, ‘OK, if this person is doing this, and I maybe am not doing it this way, and I’m hitting in this direction or whatever, maybe I’ll try something else,'” commented Yellamaraju. This strategy worked for him at TPC Sawgrass, where he excelled in strokes gained: putts (5.514), approach (4.432) and tied for second in driving distance (311.2 yards). After missing the cut in his first PGA Tour appearance at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, Yellamaraju has made the cut in five of his first six events this season, including a tie for 13th at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Yellamaraju, currently ranked number 216 in the world, hopes to climb the rankings after his performance at the Players Championship. He will not participate in this week’s Valspar Championship, as he withdrew on Monday. “I know I can compete and contend, and I have a lot of confidence in myself, but that confidence based on results is something that can’t be matched,” Yellamaraju stated. “Once you do something, you know you can do it or even better. Obviously, no matter where I end up, I know I can do it, and then keep moving forward from there.”