From ‘who’s that?’ to household name

Sudarshan Yellamaraju has gone from the little kid swinging a club inside Winnipeg’s Golf Dome to a big deal on the PGA Tour.

In the process, he’s become an inspiration to supporters young and old thanks to a unique personal journey to the highest level of his sport, while giving golf fans around here their first true local product to cheer for since Selkirk’s Glen Hnatiuk was a regular more than a quarter-century ago.

“I feel like I’m so focused on what I’m doing that I maybe don’t realize the impact,” the 24-year-old told the Free Press in a telephone interview.

“But I’ve got a lot of messages from people and kids and it kind of brought a different perspective of what I do. The idea that you could be inspiring others, it gives a different perspective for sure. It’s very cool.”

Yellamaraju may be classified as a rookie, but he’s already showing plenty of veteran poise this season. The man known to friends as “Darsh” quickly went from a “who’s that?” to a household name among golf fans after an outstanding fifth-place finish last month at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

Often referred to as golf’s unofficial “fifth major,” The Players saw Yellamaraju close with a strong weekend of 73-72-66-68 to earn US$925,000.

“A big event for sure, but I tried to treat it as just another event. I had to grind to make the cut on Friday and then had a really good weekend,” he said.

“I had a lot of confidence in myself, a lot of belief. But first you have to do something. That was huge to get that finish and it kind of changed the way I looked at what I can do right now.”

He backed it up two weeks later with a tie for sixth at the Houston Open, then a T-14 at the Texas Open. Add it all up and he’s made eight of nine cuts so far, earned more than US$1.7 million, sits 27th in the FedEx Cup standings, and has climbed to 119th in the world rankings.

“… That was huge to get that finish and it kind of changed the way I looked at what I can do right now.”

“I knew the PGA Tour was big, but I didn’t realize how big until after (The Players) tournament. I’m just so grateful to be playing here,” he said.

Gratitude comes up often when Yellamaraju talks, whether it’s about his parents, who immigrated to Canada from India when he was four in search of a better life, or about their decision to nurture his love of golf. Inspired early by Tiger Woods, they bought him a starter set, took him to the Golf Dome and eventually secured him a youth membership at Larters.

His first competitive breakthrough came in 2012 at Tuxedo Golf Course, where at age 11 he won the 12-and-under division of the Junior Bantam Championship after back-to-back rounds of seven-over 77.

The family spent seven years in Winnipeg before moving to Ontario when his father took a job in the IT sector. Yellamaraju’s game took off in his teens, highlighted by a win at the 2017 Ontario Amateur as a 16-year-old, the youngest player in the field.

Three years later, he turned professional, bypassing the college route due to a lack of scholarship opportunities. He earned his card on PGA Tour Canada (now PGA Tour Americas) and returned to Winnipeg in 2022 to play in the Manitoba Open before graduating to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024.

That year he earned US$97,550 and finished 99th overall, retaining only conditional status. But 2025 marked his true breakthrough. A win at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, plus a third-place tie and a fourth-place finish, helped him earn US$366,201 and secure promotion to the PGA Tour.

Safe to say he’s making the most of it.

“Obviously, the money is important to kind of continue what you’re doing. And the money on the PGA Tour Canada and Korn Ferry isn’t sustainable unless you’re literally contending every week. So this is a bit different,” said Yellamaraju.

“My goal this was year to keep my card. Now, I’m focusing on trying to accumulate as many points as I can, so I could be able to pick and choose my events for next year. And then, of course, try to get into all the signature events, the majors and all that stuff.”

Although he didn’t qualify for this year’s Masters, Yellamaraju hopes to get there one day. This summer’s British Open is a more immediate target, and he could force his way into the field with a few more strong finishes in the coming weeks.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. I just need to focus on what I have next, and that’s the RBC (this week in South Carolina),” he said.

Statistically, Yellamaraju has been solid in nearly every category, particularly off the tee and on the greens. If there’s one area he wants to sharpen, it’s his scrambling.

“It’s one thing to try and sustain and stay out here. It’s another to keep improving and get better and trying to contend and win. That’s what I want to do eventually — contend and win,” he said.

Naturally quiet and admittedly shy, he’s trying to keep his head down and soak up as much as he can from more experienced players on tour — including the talented fellow Canadian contingent of Corey Conners, Nick Taylor (who was born in Winnipeg but grew up in B.C.), Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Adam Svensson and fellow rookie A.J. Ewart.

“You know, sometimes I have moments here or there where I stop and realize I’m on the PGA Tour. I’m inside the ropes. And fans are watching me.”

“At every level I’ve played, I’ve had to try and learn and adapt what is required. I’m still trying to learn my way around here, playing a lot of these courses for the first time, that sort of thing.”

Now based in Jacksonville, The Players had something of a home-field feel. His parents also flew in from Mississauga to watch him compete.

Among his biggest supporters is Winnipeg’s Derek Ingram, who has guided Yellamaraju through Golf Canada’s national programs while also coaching Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith. Yellamaraju also continues to work with second-year caddie Joel Kraft, who was on the bag for his Korn Ferry Tour win last season.

“We’re both kind of learning together and trying to figure out what we need to do to keep improving,” he said.

“You know, sometimes I have moments here or there where I stop and realize I’m on the PGA Tour. I’m inside the ropes. And fans are watching me. I was the one who used to watch these players before. I just want to try and keep doing what I’m doing.”

www.winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre