PGA Tour pro Sahith Theegala wants to get better, so he moved to Jupiter | D'Angelo

• Sahith Theegala, a top-ranked golfer, is moving to Jupiter, Florida to join a growing community of professional golfers.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — Living among golf royalty comes with its perks.

Which is why Sahith Theegala, a world top 20 golfer, has become the latest PGA Tour professional to make his home in what Jordan Spieth recently labeled a "golf mecca."

Theegala, 27, is leaving Houston after a short stay and is in the process of settling in Jupiter, where he will join a who's who in the industry. Theegala's desire to practice and play with his peers, and his connection to TGL, the indoor golf league played in Palm Beach Gardens, made this decision easy.

"The facilities in the Jupiter area are incredible," Theegala said. "There's a reason why all the guys are there. They don't have to work hard for any resources."

Theegala, who recently dropped to No. 21 in the world after a year in the top 20, joins seven top 20s and more than 60 PGA Tour and LIV golfers who call the area home. He is playing out of Panther National in Palm Beach Gardens and hopes to find a secondary course soon. Justin Thomas is a partner at Panther National and helped design the course with Jack Nicklaus.

Theegala raised the "iron sharpens iron" theory when talking about the move.

"I just felt like I would have more competition when I'm at home," said Theegala, who is making his fourth Players Championship start Thursday. "Play with a bunch more guys on Tour, and a little more community. Houston was great. We got great guys, but just felt like this is the right time to get (to Jupiter)."

Theegala was raised in Chino Hills, California, and moved to Houston with girlfriend Julianna "Juju" Chan during his rookie season on the PGA Tour. Theegala and Chan met at Pepperdine, where Theegala was a three-time All-American golfer and Chan was on the swimming team.

The move to Houston was more for Theegala to be with friends and play more golf as the country was coming out of COVID. But he and Juju were looking for something more permanent and only one spot seemed natural.

Palm Beach County is a magnet for professional golfers with its weather, facilities and, of course, tax breaks. Just in recent years names such as Matt Fitzpatrick, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Victor Hovland have joined longstanding residents Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson and Thomas.

A true brotherhood, and competition, has formed. When Fowler was preparing to play Theegala in a recent TGL singles match, he mentioned beating him to "welcome him to the neighborhood."

"We're not that close," Theegala said when asked if he lived close to Fowler. "But same area. A lot of guys are in that area."

Throughout the year a list of pro golfers that the Cognizant Classic would envy could be making a wager at Nicklaus' Bear's Club or Panther National or Dye Preserve or Medalist.

For Theegala, being around peers at home who have succeeded at the highest level "normalizes everything" when it comes to life on the Tour.

"I'm still pretty new to the Tour and playing in a lot of the big events, seeing a lot of those guys off the golf course, during a big week, mentally makes it easier for me to just look at them as a peer and a friend, rather than one of the best players in the world, someone who I watched on TV," Theegala said.

"It's really great to have friends that you travel with, but also see back at home."

And as a member of the Los Angels Golf Club, that travel is a lot easier for the TGL season. Los Angeles plays New York in the first TGL playoff game Monday at SoFi Center.

Could Highsmith follow Theegala, be next to move to Jupiter?

Cognizant Classic champion Joe Highsmith and Theegala were teammates at Pepperdine. Theegala was finishing up a practice round for the Masters at Augusta the Sunday of Cognizant when he caught the end of the tournament.

The win was Highsmith's first on the PGA Tour, which means northern Palm Beach County now is holding a spot.

"I was always kind of saying, you know, maybe once I had some success, I would eventually make that Jupiter move, but we'll see," said Highsmith, who is making his first Players Championship start this week. "I got a long ways to go before I can probably afford what I want down there.

"But I don't blame him for making the move. I mean, that's where a lot of the guys go, and I think at some point I'll maybe make the move down there, too."

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].

The Players Championship

Thursday-Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach

TV: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m., GOLF; Saturday 2 p.m. NBC; Sunday, 1 p.m. NBC

Defending champ: Scottie Scheffler