Top Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju doing things his own way on PGA Tour

PGA Tour rookie three shots back heading into final round of RBC Canadian Open

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Published Jun 13, 2026  •  Last updated 3 hours ago  •  5 minute read

Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Canada prepares to putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., Saturday, June 13, 2026. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images

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CALEDON, Ont. — Work in Progress. Do Not Disturb.

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That would be a fitting sign to hang on Sudarshan Yellamaraju’s golf bag, although with the week he is having at the RBC Canadian Open the PGA Tour rookie probably needs to save that room for new sponsors.

After shooting five-under 65 on Saturday, Canada’s burgeoning golf star heads to the final round firmly in the hunt at TPC Toronto as the top Canadian at 10-under par, tied for seventh and three shots back of leader Jackson Suber.

“I’ve always thought I could be in contention in tournaments, for sure. That’s what I’ve been working for, that’s what I’ve been dreaming of doing, but it’s just a matter of doing it, of course,” Yellamaraju said after his round. “It didn’t feel really unusual, I’ve been in this position before, maybe not on the PGA Tour, but in this position before.”

Workmanlike attitude on the course

The workmanlike attitude and matter-of-fact explanations for what has been a rather stunning rookie season provide some interesting insight into the personality of the young man who looks more and more like the brightest light of Canada’s next generation of golfers.

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With a cast of Canadians this week that includes the tournament’s 2023 champion Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and several other household names, Yellamaraju turning into the headliner could seem an unlikely scenario, if not for the fact he’s been the top Canuck on tour all year, entering the week 48th in the FedEx Cup standings.

For most golf fans, the 24-year-old popped up on their radar with his T5 finish at the Players Championship in March. His origin story instantly captivated the wider community. After all, on the PGA Tour development bingo card, moving from India to Canada at age four and learning the game by watching YouTube videos and hitting balls in a Winnipeg golf dome has never been a winner.

With a story that unique, Yellamaraju has been asked about it every time his name pops up on a leaderboard, and it seems to have reached the point where he’d rather you go read about it online than have to go over the details yet another time.

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In those origin stories you’d learn his family moved to Mississauga when he was seven for the dual purpose of providing him better access to golf facilities and for his father’s job. Many on site this week have done their homework.

“A lot of people saying, ‘Go Mississauga’ and all that, so that was pretty cool, for sure,” he said after his first round on Thursday.

That excitement ramped up to the next level on Saturday as crowds grew larger and he climbed the leaderboard.

“I heard it. I was just trying to focus as much as I could, like I always do,” he said. “But I was definitely hearing it out there and it felt good, for sure.”

In conversation Yellamaraju is attentive, always engaged in your questions, and very willing to pause to think before answering; although you frequently get the sense that he doesn’t find himself nearly as fascinating as we do.

A self-taught golfer

For us, he’s a mind-blowing success story of a self-taught golfer who has never had a single lesson, a Canadian immigrant who learned the game with his non-golf-playing father in one of the most unorthodox ways imaginable. For him, it’s another step in a game of trial and error that he has been playing his entire life, and one he’d prefer to get back to as soon as possible.

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“Honestly, I’m so focused on what I’m doing,” he said Saturday when asked if he’s aware that his play could inspire local kids at his hometown event.

“I’ve been just trying to do the best that I can. I think this year I’ve kind of learned that it is a little bit of, when I’m doing well, I am inspiring others, so it is kind of cool to see. But like I said, I’m just trying to play the best I can. If I’m able to inspire others, then that’s awesome.”

Pros are notoriously hard on themselves, and despite his rookie season success his mind often seems to wander to what was missing on any given day as he continues the familiar golfing quest to put it all together. The game is incredibly fickle and most days a player’s A-game won’t be there, as was the case after his opening round one-under 69 this week.

“Obviously I made a few too many mistakes and that’s kind of been the case this year when I think my good rounds have had a lot of birdies and fewer mistakes, and my OK rounds just kind of still have a lot of birdies, but a few too many mistakes,” he said, before following up his opening round with scores of 66-65.

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Constantly tries to improve

These days, his golfing mind is like an AI machine exposed to tons of valuable data week-to-week as he tries to constantly improve his output. A lot has happened since he made his PGA Tour debut at the RBC Canadian Open last year with no status on tour.

“I would say it has felt a little bit longer (than a year), for sure. I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “I played a lot of tough golf courses in the meantime and a lot more PGA Tour events. I played with a lot of good players, and just learned a lot of things.”

A problem-solving perfectionist could describe many top golfers, but unlike most, Yellamaraju isn’t much interested in swing data or discovering the perfect move on the driving range. There’s no coach to pore over video and examine his move anyway. Which is fine. For him, golf is learned on the course where you’re lucky to get a handful of shots on perfectly flat grass during a round. When he practices — and there’s plenty of that — it’s learning different shots and often putting himself in unique situations he might find on the course.

Can you be a throwback player if you learned the game from YouTube?

“Each person’s different,” he said. “It may not be the most conventional way, but I kind of figure it out.”

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