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Even the best players in the world are prone to the occasional miscue, and World No. 11 Sahith Theegala showed that anything can happen during any given round out on tour. 

Theegala had been cruising along smoothly in his opening round at the 3M Open on Thursday, carding five birdies without a single bogey through his first 15 holes. But disaster nearly struck on the short par-4 7th hole when the usually steady 26-year-old American completely miss-hit his tee shot.

Tag a friend who's been there. pic.twitter.com/FAy5us0rqg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 25, 2024

Standing on the tee at TPC Twin Cities' uphill 7th, Theegala shockingly topped his iron off the deck, failing to advance the ball beyond the forward tees in what could only be described as a brutal shank. 

Gasps were heard throughout the gallery as fans and players alike watched one of the PGA Tour's rising stars pull off such an uncharacteristic errant shot. However, to his credit, Theegala did well to compose himself after such an embarrassing mishit. His tee shot strangely found the front of another tee box short of the fairway, leaving him with a decent lie for his second attempt.

From there, the normally unflappable Theegala showed his mettle by sticking his approach shot tight on the green and calmly rolling in a pair of par saves. 

Luck was on Theegala's side as the mis-hit ball miraculously came to rest on one of the tee boxes, giving him a prime lie for his next shot. With the hole in serious jeopardy, Theegala showed his mettle by drilling his approach shot to the center of the green. He proceeded to two-putt for an unlikely par save.

Sahith Theegala sinks 23-foot birdie putt at 3M Open

He marched on to finish his opening round at 6-under 65, just two shots off the lead currently held by fellow American Patrick Rodgers. While that one flubbed tee shot will surely make the blooper reels, Theegala proved once again why he continues to climb the world rankings. 

The duality of man. pic.twitter.com/JLai2pbBrF

— Sahith Theegala Legion (@TheegalaLegion) July 25, 2024

While the embarrassing tee shot was a brutal reminder that mistakes can happen to anyone, Theegala demonstrated the ability to recover from adversity that separates pros from amateurs. He will look to keep momentum on his side during the remaining rounds as he seeks his first PGA Tour victory. Theegala's heroic par after an epic fail on the tee will surely have golf fans rooting for him throughout the tournament.

References: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/sahith-theegala-pga-tour-3m-open-golf-tee-shot-top-shank-video