Sudarshan Yellamaraju hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round at the Canadian Open in Caledon, Ont., on Saturday.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
As the day wore on Saturday, the throng following Sudarshan Yellamaraju at the RBC Canadian Open grew and grew. By the time he reached the 18th hole, fans pushed to get a better look at the rising star on the PGA Tour from Mississauga, Ont. Some planted down lawn chairs as they waited for him. Others sat on the grass.
Cheers erupted as he made the long walk to the final green, and then again when he finished the day at 10-under after 54 holes. His round was bookended by an eagle on No. 1, a 542-yard par-5, and then a birdie on 18, a monstrous 581-yarder where the green hugs a pond.
In between Yellamaraju was a little here, there and everywhere but his round left him in a good position for Sunday’s final round of the US$9.8-million tournament at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont.
Jackson Suber of Tampa, Fla., leads at -13 after his 66 in the final pairing of the day. He has been consistent – 66, 65, 66 – and is close to his first victory in 42 starts on the PGA Tour.
Bud Cauley, from Daytona Beach, Fla., is at -12 after a round of 66. He was sidelined for three years after being a passenger in a life-threatening accident in 2018 and has never won in 238 starts on the PGA’s main circuit.
Bud Cauley views a shot during Saturday's action.Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Wyndham Clark, Brice Garnett, Tommy Fleetwood and Jesper Svensson are all at -11. Clark, an American who won the 2023 U.S. Open, drew boos from the Toronto-centric crowd when he donned a Jack Hughes Team USA hockey jersey on the green at one hole.
That leaves Yellamaraju only three strokes back along with four others with 18 holes remaining in Canada’s national open. The winner takes home US$1.764-million.
Yellamaraju was born in India but has lived in Mississauga since he was 11 years old. He is shy and a bit self-conscious in front of a microphone but he is earnest and polite.
He learned to golf by watching YouTube videos and turned professional at 19. Over the next four years he competed in 66 events on the Korn Ferry and PGA Canada circuits. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2026, has made the cut in 14 of 17 events and has a half-dozen top-25 finishes.
“I’ve always thought I could be in contention in tournaments,” the 24-year-old lefty said after his round. “That’s what I’ve been working for, that’s why I’ve been dreaming of doing, but there is a matter of doing it, of course.
“It doesn’t feel really unusual because I’ve been in this position before, if maybe not on the PGA Tour. Going into tomorrow I’m just going to do the best I can. That’s all I can ask for.”
Of the 148 amateurs and professionals that teed off on Thursday, roughly half made the cut at -2 after 36 holes. The initial field included 21 Canadians; nine remain.
Yellamaraju is the lowest scorer among them, followed by Matthew Anderson, amateur Justin Matthews and Taylor Pendrith, each at -7.
Matthew Anderson plays his shot from the second tee on Saturday.Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Some of Friday’s leaders found the going difficult on Osprey Valley’s North Course a day later in the hot and breezy conditions.
Ben James, who was first after 36 holes at -10, imploded and finished with a 78 and is no longer in the race for the championship. Haotong Li of China was in a group of players one shot behind after Friday but is now out of the running after a 9-over-par that included five bogeys and one double bogey.
PGA Tour star Brooks Koepka entered the day two back at -8, but shot 2-over-par and will need a spectacular final round to challenge for the title.
Nick Taylor, who in 2023 became the first Canadian to win the Canadian Open, is dead last after blowing up and shooting an 8-over-par 78. He had two double-bogeys and five bogeys.
Yellamaraju was pleased with his round overall.
“Everything was pretty good,” he said. “I definitely made more putts today than I did yesterday. Yesterday I hit the ball really good. Today, maybe it was maybe not as good, but the putts were pretty good and that’s why the score was good, too.”
As he made his way around the course fans were shouting and cheering him on. They called him “Sauga City,” yelled, “We’re behind you” and called him “One of us.”
He heard all that and appreciated it but was kind of busy at the time.
“I was just trying to focus as much as I could, like I always do,” he said. “But I was definitely hearing it out there and it felt good, for sure.”