At the core of Sahith Theegala’s success: the support of his mother

Sahith Theegala is hard to miss at PGA Tour events, and not just because he’s 6-foot-3.

Often, he’ll have a lively gallery in tow: his parents; girlfriend; family; friends; other assorted fans and admirers drawn to him by his starring role in Netflix’s “Full Swing” series. When, in 2023, Theegala won his first Tour title, at the Fortinet Championship in his native California, he had more than 30 friends and family members following him Sunday, hooting and hollering after every stuffed approach and holed putt.

“The support I have is mind-blowing,” Theegala said in the wake of that breakthrough victory. “I go to bed at night these last few days and, like, I can’t believe how many people are cheering for me.”

Theegala’s support system is extensive, but at its nucleus are his parents, Karuna and Muralidhar. For the second of three installments of our Mother’s Day series (check out Part I here, on Jordan Spieth’s mother, Chris), we spoke to Karuna to better understand how she and Muralidhar — or Murli, as his friends and family call him — raised their son and what wisdom they imparted to him along the way.

Their story begins half a world away.

In the beginning

Once upon a time (1992), in a land far away (India), a man returned home to visit his family — and also to find a wife.

“When I was growing up, my parents were protective and loving; our lives were simple and happy,” Karuna remembers. “In 1992, Muralidhar came back home to get married after studying in the U.S. His family approached my family, and then my parents asked me: Was I interested in marrying him? We did not know each other personally at the time.”

Karuna didn’t know what to say.   

“But I knew my parents loved me and I trusted them,” she continues. “They thought it was a good idea, so we married and immediately moved to the United States. I was 21 years old, and he was 27.” Many modern Americans struggle with the concept of arranged marriage, but Karuna endorses the custom. “You can see, it works!” she says. “We grew up together and figured out life together.”

Both Karuna and her husband finished their educations, with Karuna earning an accounting degree from Cal State. Murli landed a job in Los Angeles as an aerospace engineer and the family settled in Chino Hills.

“There was a lot of adjustment for me,” Karuna says. “Growing up, my parents never left me alone, and I was very dependent on them, so I had to learn how to take care of myself, how to cook and how to live with another person I did not know in a country that was new to me. It took time and I missed my family, but in our culture, this way of doing things is normal. When we came to the U.S., my husband said, ‘I think this will be our home.’ And when we had babies, it was in concrete — the U.S. was going to be home. It was all such a big journey for us, and we were together in it. We went through so much together.”

In 1997, the couple had their first of two sons, Sahith. Six years later, Sahith’s brother, Sahan, was born.

Supporting cast

Karuna and Murli wanted to raise their two boys the same way their parents had raised them. “As a young mom, I did exactly what my parents did for me,” Karuna says. “It was easy for me because they were so loving and so giving. My husband and I spent time with our boys, which was very easy for us. We loved them crazily.

“We read books, helped them with their homework, went to birthday parties for friends and sometimes we would go back and visit the grandparents in India. We created a loving, safe bond with them. It was an emotional connection and I thought it would give them self-confidence and a sense of security.”

The Theegala boys’ grandparents were a 15-hour flight away, but they stayed close with frequent visits.

At the top of Karuna and Murli’s list of priorities both for themselves and their children was the task of planting the seeds of what would eventually become Team Theegala. Karuna and Muralidhar were far from their roots, but that didn’t mean the U.S. couldn’t become their home away from home. “Once we started a family, we intentionally created a support system around ourselves,” Karuna says. “These people saw our kids grow up. They saw Sahith’s journey.

“He started winning tournaments at 6 years old, and that was an inspiration to everyone around us. When you see that group of people cheering for him on the course, many of those people are part of our original support system. Others are fans who wanted to be part of Sahith’s story. They want to be an encouragement.”

Team Theegala is a tight-knit community that has been built over time, lives intentionally intertwined with family and friends to provide support. Karuna and Murli could not have known two decades ago how important this group would be as their children grew and their family matured.

A mother’s wishes and worries

Soon after Murli took an engineering job, a friend asked him to play golf. “It was new to him,” Karuna says. “Sports is not something we do a lot in India. Academics is always first. Sports is something you do after, just to relax. But my husband is very athletic, so he picked it up.” Murli maintained a weekly tee time with his friend, and it was out of that standing game that Sahith and his brother Sahan would be introduced to golf.

“Both of my boys are academically talented,” Karuna says. “Sahith is six years older than his brother, and his brother is also good at sports, but [Sahan] chose to go towards academics instead. We did everything together as a family because I wanted them to learn from each other. Now, his brother is the first person he calls.”

Karuna’s children have grown up, but being a mother, she says, doesn’t feel all that different to her, not even when she sees her son’s name in the headlines or on Netflix.

“Sahith was — and still is — an easy kid, and Sahan is excellent in academics, just as he always has been,” she says. “But I still get nervous as a mom. With regard to Sahith’s journey as a golfer, he’s always been so good, and now he’s getting older.”

And better. In college, at Pepperdine University, Sahith was a three-time All-American and in 2020 the undisputed Div. I player of the year. As a professional, his world ranking has climbed to as high as 11th (it’s now 31). He has played in 11 majors and on the 2024 U.S. Presidents Cup team.  

“These days, I get nervous about how he handles his professional and relational responsibilities,” Karuna says. “He’s a famous player now, and with fame comes expectations, expectations from fans and sponsors, and also expectations he puts on himself. I get nervous about all of that. I get very nervous about injuries. I am always telling him, ‘Please be careful!’

“Golf is a mental game and I sometimes wonder if it’s getting to be too much; I wonder if he’s ok. I just want him to have success in his professional life and in his personal life. I just want him to be happy. I don’t care about anything else.”

If you’re a parent, maybe Karuna’s desires, stresses and fears echo how you feel about your own children. Once a mother, after all, always a mother; all that changes is your child’s station in life. If Karuna could go back 20 years and give herself some advice?

“I would emphasize the importance of self-care,” she says. “You think it’s selfish as a mom, but it’s not. Being good to yourself makes you a better parent.

“Also, it’s normal to not know what you’re doing on the parenting journey. You learn as you go — that’s what parenting is! You have to balance self-care and parenting. If you don’t, you’ll drive yourself and everyone else crazy. Once you’re in mom mode, it doesn’t go away.”