Yellamaraju posts impressive win on Korn Ferry Tour
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Although he isn’t long on experience on the Korn Ferry Tour, Sudarshan Yellamaraju played like a seasoned veteran over the final 18 holes of the Bahamas Greater Abaco Classic at the Abaco Club.
In just his 29th start on the circuit, the Mississauga, Ont., product hit every fairway and all 18 greens en route to an eight-under 64, good for an impressive five-shot victory.
“Just enjoy it and be grateful for the opportunity,” Yellamaraju told Golf Channel on his game plan for the final round. “I know I’m playing well, so just go and play good shots.”
He had plenty of those. His last bogey came on the second hole in the second round, and he was 24 under over the last 52 holes. He not only found fairways off the tee but used his wedge to chip the ball to tap-in range on several holes on the back nine. His putter was also red hot as he rolled in plenty of shots from knee-knocking range for birdies. Perhaps the only error was a five-footer on the last hole for birdie that just slid past the right edge. By that time, it was a meaningless miss.
“Just a lot of hard work, practice and belief,” said Yellamaraju on why he was able to log his first win as a professional.
Born in India, the 23-year-old moved to Canada at a young age and although no one in his family golfed, he became fascinated with the game by seeing it on television and then following it on YouTube. He’s never taken a formal lesson and doesn’t have a swing coach.
As a 16-year-old, Yellamaraju won the Ontario Amateur and was hoping for scholarship offers to top schools in the U.S. None of the few invites that did arrive were of interest. Instead, he turned professional and has been chasing his dream ever since.
At first Yellamaraju played in local professional tournaments and then advanced to PGA Tour Canada (now PGA Tour Americas).
He played the Korn Ferry Tour last season, missing 12 cuts in 25 starts and recording just one top 10. He finished 99th on the points list. Despite this, his determination never wavered.
The victory is the third by a Canadian in this tournament. Adam Svensson won it in 2018 and two years ago, Ben Silverman captured the title. Both used the win to advance to the PGA Tour. That’s what Yellamaraju would like to do as well, but his work is far from done.
There are still another 24 events left to play. The top 20 golfers on the Korn Ferry Points list at the end of the season earn PGA Tour privileges for 2026.
“I know at the end of the year I’ll probably need to have a win or two to have a chance,” said Yellamaraju, “especially with just how good the players are. This is a great start, but I’ve got to keep going.”