his mother’s support

Sahith Theegala is difficult to get lost in PGA Tour’s events, and not just because he is 6 feet-3.

Often, he will have a living gallery in retreat: his parents; girlfriend; family; friends; Fans and other different admirers drawn by him from his stagnant role in Netflix’s “Swing Full” series. When, in 2023, Theegala won his first tournament titleAt the Fortine Championship in his birth California, he had more than 30 friends and family members who followed him on Sunday, stopping and stopping after every full approach and Putt Hold.

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

Thegala’s support system is wide, but in his core are his parents, Karuna and Muridhar. To the second of the three installments of our mother’s day’s day (Look the part I hereAbove Jordan Spieth’s mother, Chris), we spoke to Karuna to better understand how she and muralidhari – or Murli, as his friends and family call him – raised their son and what wisdom they gave him along the way.

Their story begins half the world away.

At the beginning

Once upon a time (1992), on a land away (India), a man returned home to visit his family – and also find a woman.

“When I was growing up, my parents were protective and loving; our lives were simple and happy,” Karuna recalls. “In 1992, Muralidhar returned home to get married after studying at the US family approached my family, and then my parents asked me: Was I interested in marrying him? We didn’t 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 got married and immediately moved to the United States. I was 21, and he was 27.” Many modern Americans struggle with the concept of regulated marriage, but Karuna approves the habit. “You can see, it works!” She says. “We grew together and understood life together.”

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

“There were a lot of adjustments 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 care for myself, how to cook and how to live with another person I didn’t know in a place that was new to me. our. “And when we had babies, it was in concrete – Sh.ba would be at home.

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

Caste

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

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

The grandparents of Theegala were a 15-hour flight away, but they stayed close to frequent visits.

At the top of the list of the advantages of Karuna and Murli for both themselves and for their children it was the task of planting the seeds of what would eventually become Theegala team. Karuna and Murididhar were far from their roots, but that does not mean that the US could not become their home away from home. “As soon as we started a family, we deliberately created a support system around ourselves,” Karuna says. “These people saw our children grow up. They saw Sahith’s journey.

“He began to win tour at the age of 6, and this was an inspiration for 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.”

Theegala team is a tight community that was built over time, lives in intentioned 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 up and their family matured.

Congratulations and concerns of a mother

Immediately after Murli got an engineering job, a friend asked him to play golf. “It was new to her,” Karuna says. “Sport is not something we do a lot in India. Academics are always the first. Sport is something you do after, just to relax. But my husband is very athletic, so he catches it.” Murli held a weekly time with his friend, and was out of that standing game that Sahith and his brother Sahan would be presented with golf.

“Both my sons are academically talented,” Karuna says. “Sahith is six years older than his brother, and his brother is also good in sports, but (Sahan) chose to go to academics in the country. We did everything together as a family because I wanted them to learn from one another. Now, his brother is the first person he calls.”

Karuna’s children have grown up, but being a mother, she says, does not feel so different for her, not even when she sees her son’s name in titles or Netflix.

“Sahith was – and is still – an easy child, and Sahan is great at academics, just as he has always been,” she says. “But I still get nervous as a mother. In connection with Sahith’s journey as a golf player, he has always been so good, and now he’s getting old.”

And better. At college, at Pepperdine University, Sahith was a three-time All-American and in 2020 DIV indisputable. I player of the year. As a professional, his world ranking is up to 11 (now 31). He has played in 11 degrees and the US President of the US Cup 2024.

“These days, I get nervous about how he deals with his professional and relational responsibilities,” says Karuna. “He’s a famous player now, and with famous expectations, expectations from fans and sponsors, and also expectations he puts on myself. I get nervous about all this. I’m very nervous about the injuries. “

“Golf is a mental game and sometimes I wonder if it will be a lot; I wonder if he is okay. I just want him to succeed 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 are a parent, maybe the desires, stresses and fear of Karuna echo how you feel about your children. Once a mother, after all, always a mother; All that changes is your child’s station in life. If Karuna could turn 20 years and give himself Some tips?

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

“Also, it’s normal to don’t know what you are doing on parenting journey. You learn as you go-it’s what your parents are! You need to balance yourself and your parents. If you don’t, you will drive yourself and everyone else crazy. Once you are in the mother’s fashion, it doesn’t go away.”