The president's lips need sparks. This one you got with honest 'Spieth'

MONTREAL – You get dad first. Of course he would. Dad has always been calm, and he speaks with love, even in the first hole of Royal Montreal, in front of 4,000 rowdies and before his first President Cup tournament, which is his first team event, stable and sound welcome. When they saw him to the left of the tee box, they clapped.

He looked back. Time. You're breathing, we think. You settle down. He gives one, two, three, four, five and heads down the highway, before something unexpected happens during the first day of the two years.

Sahith Theegala finds the fairway.

You see, he is the opposite, though proudly so. He even compares himself to someone else who plays the game a lot left and right, before somehow coming off the top.

“Maybe I bring a different style of play,” Theegala said on Tuesday. “A lot of these guys, I mean robots, for lack of a better word. They beat it well. And point A point B more all the time.

“And I feel like I bring a different kind of athleticism to the game. I tend to hit it all over the place sometimes. I will not compare myself [Jordan] Spieth, not even close. But try to be Spieth-like sometimes by just trying to be creative and get away with it. No one will be able to match that guy. But there are a few creative ways to go green. I'm a scrambler. I am a goal scorer. A unique highlight of the group. Those guys are so good that I'm just trying to find a way to hit the ball in the hole as fast as possible.”

Presidents, Ryder and Solheim Cups, of course, want such sparks, such firemen, and as the story is written this week, the latter may be the 26-year-old from So Cal, who has been so sincere for the past month. , on the Tour Championship, we saw him report a foul that added two strokes and ultimately netted him $2.5 million, whose golf bag is so deep that he's ranked No. 11 in the world as of this deadline. On Thursday, when partnering Collin Morikawa in a four-ball match, Theegala got a point on 18, and the sequence was something. The Fairway. (Another one!) The iron is stuck at 2 feet. (Spithian!). The Putt. (Time for hugs and handshakes, part of a 5-0 USA lead!)

Back to my dad, though. You have to. Murli Theegala develops the story, although her son speaks very well. Before he does, just know that the father is his son's biggest fan — he's easy to spot here this week, wearing a white 'Team Theegala' hat — and the feeling is shared. On Tuesday, I asked little Theegala who her role model was and I got this answer, and it's long, but we promise it's good:

“Yes, the simple answer to that and my true and honest answer is father. I wouldn't say — in a weird way, I wouldn't say it's because of what he did to me but more the way he treats other people. You make everyone feel like – and this is definitely not – you make everyone feel like your best friend. And it's definitely not fake. You feel like you just want to spread happiness in the world.

“We are not ignorant in the world. He has no sense in the world. Life is hard. Life is hard. And what we do out here feels like a dream sometimes. I am not saying that what we do is not difficult. I'm just saying that we are very lucky to be in this position.

“You do a great job of reminding me what life is all about. It's all about people. And you have to be nice to people – no matter what the situation is you never know what someone is going through.

“He is my father, with his mind and way of life. It's a team effort. My mother, too. My mother instilled so many values. He is a little more strict with me than my father, for which I am very grateful. A beautiful duo. But one who is a good example, I would say my father.”

Did he also feel an obligation to set an example?

“You know what, I don't see it as an obligation,” said Theegala. “I just look at you with a cool platform and it doesn't take much effort to spread kindness. And I try to – I go out sometimes to – sometimes it can be dangerous, but I say hi to the fans or sign or whatever.

“But I think I'm lucky that my parents instilled in me when I was young that you shake hands, ask how people are. And I have to remind myself – the biggest thing for me is, funnily enough, volunteers. There are many volunteers out there. These competitions would not be possible without these volunteers. So it's just a 'thank you' as I go to the tee box or I go to the green or they put the flag down because I'm in really bad shape. I'm just thankful.

“And I know how the smallest action can go a long way. And it's good that people can think of me as an example. I think thinking of yourself as a role model is probably not the best way to do that, but you know people are watching you and you know kids are watching you and you want to put your best foot forward. I feel like my best life is just me because of the way my parents raised me. “

Another question from earlier this week, for both his father and his mother, Karuna. Both are from India, while their son was born in the US, and now plays for the American team.

Your parents immigrated to this country. They have worked hard so you can play golf. Is this the week, where you will wear the red, white and blue, where you can sit back and think about this whole journey?

“Definitely. It's really wild,” said Theegala. “I don't think this is what my father had in mind when he came to the US from India. But it means the world – I know that my father is very grateful for the country and the opportunity it gave him. At the same time, he took advantage of that opportunity. The greatness of this country.

“That opportunity opened up an opportunity for me. And just to be able to give back to the country – I don't see it as giving back to the country, but just playing for your country and wearing your colors and representing the world.

“It makes me very angry to see some of the boys in the team want it to be so bad and meaningful to them. I know it's well written, but Scottie [Scheffler] in the Olympics, to win it for the US, is a huge thing. There are no bigger events than when you play for your country.

“It's a little full circle. It's very humbling and exciting at the same time. But it's good. I can't wait for my parents to be there. And they will end the whole experience as I am.”

They did it. The time is 1. 18th time. This was something, too. After his boy's iron on the green, Murli hit a one-hander. And then another. Tens in all. They play in Canada, but who doesn't like to have fun with a proud dad? Greenside, Murli saw his son win. He started the ceremony. Tony Finau hugged him and called him “pops.”

I asked Murli a second time. I got a few minutes. Below are the words, but please imagine her smiling.

How was today?

“Oh, I can't believe it, can I? I was just waiting for the day to start. I think this is a fun format, I love it. Individual games are great, but team games are the most fun. I was happy, just waiting for this day to begin. And it's a good format for him, so there's no pressure on him like foursomes; four balls is the best way to go so you can lean a little on your partner. I was glad they did a great job. I am happy with Sahith today. I've been waiting all day for him to get one good shot in there and that good shot, he did. “

When he got to the 1st tee, he saw you on the left, you were clapping, what was that moment like, if you could try to explain it?

“That's amazing. He's a good kid. That's what he does. I mean, that's amazing for him to see that we went down, and from there, and he still knew us. That's amazing to see him just come and say, have fun.”

When you saw the gun at 18, what was that like?

“You know I was just telling the fans over there, I'm just waiting for one shot to make his day because I've always watched him, and that was amazing. I think [assistant captain] Stewart Cink was saying, 'Did it reach the flagstick?' “I don't think so, Stewart, but it looks close.”

Meanwhile, while you're going up and getting high-fives…

“Definitely. I said, OK, one shot, you did it, you did it for fun today. Because it means a lot to him, just the first game in a team game. I think getting that win in your photo is an amazing feeling. It bodes well for every tournament, yes. ”

Did you ever think about this when you came to the United States, something like this? I know that's a big question, but…

“No, no, no, no, no, not like that. I never dreamed he would become a professional golfer. He loved sports. I loved sports. My love was the game, so I just rode with him, all the highs and lows, and it's amazing what he did at Pepperdine and when he was injured he came back mentally strong. And he loves the game so much, I think it's love – even when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he still wants to go play 18 holes. That is his wish. And of course I was there to enjoy every minute of it. It's an amazing feeling.”

Here, I took a picture, and then I told Murli that his son told me that he was his role model. He smiled.

But to end things here, back to Spieth, on his return. Back to the first hole. Back to the hug, or especially after.

Our main character forgot to find his parents inside the ropes.

“I'm sad, they were just going with the crowd to hole 1,” he said. “I know that I saw my father being hidden by a group of fans, which is surprising. He likes it, too.

“But it means the world that they are there. He's not afraid to show his emotions, and I think that's where I find my emotions on the golf course, too. “

But little Theegala finally got together.

On hole 2, his coach and coach received their passes.

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for planning, writing and promoting news on the golf course. And when he's not writing about how to hit the golf ball forward and straight, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash down his scores. You can contact him about any of these topics – his news, his game or his beer – at [email protected].