The World No. 1 is at it again! At the Harbour Town Golf Links, Scottie Scheffler took the lead after the conclusion of the third round. Following him from four shots behind is Sahith Theegala, who put his best foot forward during the Sunday round to turn his T4 into No. 1 on the leaderboard. For that, Theegala might end up having a face-off with World No. 1.

Being members of the PGA Tour, it is no secret that both golfers have teed off against each other many times in their professional careers. However, their history of on-course rivalry goes back to their teenage golfing days. Even then, according to Theegala, Scheffler was a force to be reckoned with.

Sahith Theegala once defeated Scottie Scheffler

After finishing the third round with a score of 4 under 67, Sahith Theegala was asked many questions at the post-round presser, and one was even about the leader at RBC Heritage, Scottie Scheffler. He was asked about the first time they met or played and how Scheffler was back then. Theegala reminisced about his high school days and how Scheffler had been one of the constant figures present in his golfing career: “He’s a year ahead of me in school, and played with him most of my life”. He then explained how they were rarely paired together or went head-to-head, saying, “Actually didn’t play in the same group as him much, but just playing a lot of tournaments with him.”

When asked whether he had ever defeated Scheffler, Theegala tried to recollect an instance of the same and said, “I don’t actually know if I beat him in any junior or college tournaments,” Even though the 26-year-old might not have defeated Scheffler during their teenage days, he humorously stated, “At least I’ve beat him in a pro event before. I’ve got that.”

It was probably the only time when the 1-time PGA Tour winner could beat the now-World No. 1. But having played with Scheffler for a long time, one thing was clear to Theegala, Scheffler deserves all the appreciation he receives. Hear it from himself, “He’s been a great player the whole time, and he’s been a great dude the whole time, too. He doesn’t have to go talk to me, for instance, and he’s always been super nice. Couldn’t be a better World No. 1, I think.”

While Theegala may not have all the memories of playing with the 27-year-old, he vividly remembered a funny instance that happened when they were probably junior golfers involving Scheffler and his father.

Sahith Theegala recounts Scheffler’s humble nature

It was at the Starburst Junior Golf Tournament in Waco, Texas. Sahith Theegala and Scottie Scheffler were paired up to tackle the day together. For that Tournament, Theegala remembered, “My dad and Scottie’s dad were both caddying for us.” Eventually, the Theegala lost the match, and he added, “He [Scheffler] probably beat me by like eight or nine.”

But that wasn’t the fun part. The 26-year-old, explaining what was funny, said, “It’s funny because Scottie was pretty self-deprecating about his round, and then Scott, his dad, was kind of making fun of him. It was really funny.” Theegala may want to have another fun round with Scheffler on Sunday but this time, he would surely like to beat him for the plaid jacket!