Sudarshan Yellamaraju, of Mississauga, Ont., took a major step toward his PGA Tour dream on Wednesday by winning the second event of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour, golf鈥檚 premier feeder circuit.
The 23-year-old won The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club by five shots over runners-up Russell Knox and Kensei Hirata. Yellamaraju fired a final-round 64 鈥� the lowest score of the day 鈥� and shattered the tournament scoring record by seven shots.
He became the third Canadian to win the event, following Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., in 2018 and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., in 2023. Starting the final round with a one-shot lead, Yellamaraju pulled away to secure the biggest win of his career.
鈥淚t feels great. It feels good that the hard work and all the hours I鈥檝e put in, me and my parents, has paid off,鈥� Yellamaraju told reporters in the Bahamas.
Yellamaraju was born in India and his family immigrated to Winnipeg when he was four. He moved to the Greater Toronto Area when he was 11. Yellamaraju won the Ontario Amateur at 16 but did not go to college in the United States, saying Wednesday he didn鈥檛 get enough money via scholarships to make it work. He instead turned pro immediately after finishing high school.
Yellamaraju, part of Golf Canada鈥檚 National Team, is the second Canadian in three weeks to capture a men鈥檚 golf title after Nick Taylor won the Sony Open in Hawaii, the second event of the 2025 PGA Tour season. Taylor took to social media to congratulate his countryman, while fellow Canadian Korn Ferry Tour pros Matthew Anderson and Etienne Papineau were greenside in the Bahamas for a big celebration.
Golf Canada men鈥檚 national team head coach Derek Ingram describes Yellamaraju鈥檚 game as 鈥渞eally consistent鈥� from tee to green. Coupled with a solid short game, a deep passion for golf, and a 鈥渢remendous work ethic,鈥� Ingram believes Yellamaraju has the makings of another Canadian PGA Tour star.
Yellamaraju played on PGA Tour Americas in 2022 and 2023 before earning Korn Ferry Tour status in 2024. He finished 99th in the season-long points list last year.
He had to return to the first stage of the tour鈥檚 qualifying school in the fall after falling short in the season-long points race. However, he battled his way to the final stage, where he finished tied for 36th. Placing inside the top 40 earned him eight guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this year.
It only took him two to take full advantage.
鈥淭here鈥檚 tension, there鈥檚 pressure, but I just kept my head down, kept playing. One shot at a time. I wanted to play good shots,鈥� Yellamaraju said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 completely calm obviously. Once I saw the scoreboard and I saw I had a five-shot lead heading into the last hole I knew I was fine.鈥�
Yellamaraju didn鈥檛 miss a green or fairway in his tidy final-round effort, going 5-under on his first nine holes before settling into a groove and bringing the trophy home.
鈥淚 just wanted to play good shots. I just wanted to shoot as low as possible and I think I did a pretty good job,鈥� Yellamaraju said with a laugh.
With only 20 PGA Tour cards on the line this year 鈥� there were 30 available the last two seasons 鈥� Yellamaraju knows that every shot counts this year more than ever.
It鈥檚 been a non-traditional journey for Yellamaraju, who is largely self-taught. He learned the game by watching YouTube and golf on TV, with his father, Suresh, serving as his watchful second set of eyes.
Wednesday, Yellamaraju said, was his father鈥檚 birthday.
"It鈥檚 rare to have a tournament, in January, where we play a final round, on his birthday. It just all fell into place,鈥� Yellamaraju said.
鈥淚 guess it was just all meant to be.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.
Adam Stanley, The Canadian Press
