The fiancee of PGA Tour star Sahith Theegala has fired back at an ESPN anchor following an awkward encounter during tournament week.
SportsCenter anchor Gary Striewski shared that he had run into the couple at a coffee shop in Connecticut during last week’s Travelers Championship, where Theegala finished tied-51 at seven-under.
Striewski said that he recognized the golfer and his fiancee, Juju Chan, who boasts a popular social media following on TikTok.
He said he happened to sit at the table next to Chan and, while Theegala was at the counter ordering drinks, he leaned over to ask her, ‘Has anyone spotted you yet?’
The ESPN host claimed Chan looked back at him contemptuously and responded, ‘I guess now?’ He said he then turned around and stayed silent following the interaction.
He claimed that for Chan, as someone who ‘posts constantly’ and ‘platforms’ herself all of the time, it should be ‘part of the territory’ to be recognized in public.
Juju Chan (right) fired back at SportsCenter anchor Gary Striewski over an awkward encounter
Chan is the fiancee of PGA Tour star Sahith Theegala. Pictured at the 2024 Presidents Cup
He added that a few minutes later, someone in the same shop recognized him and he had a conversation with that person happily.
However, Chan hit back as she responded to Striewski’s tale, claiming that he was presenting a false narrative.
In a TikTok video, she said that ‘the interaction that he’s explaining did not happen the way he’s saying it did. He’s continuing to let people believe a false narrative.’
Chan, who said that she had no idea who Striewski was at the time, added that she did not feel it was normal to open a conversation with a question about being spotted.
‘I was uncomfortable with the comment, but I was also trying to laugh it off,’ she said.
She added that she felt it was ‘extremely unprofessional’ for Striewski to be seemingly encouraging criticism of her online.
‘If he perceived our interaction that way, I’m sorry. But that’s not how it went down,’ she said. ‘I think it’s extremely unprofessional given the line of work he’s in. To encourage people to hate on me, that’s uncool.’
Theegala showed support for his fiancee, commenting on her post: ‘That guy should have never put you in a position like this… I love you so much, and I’m incredibly proud of how you’ve handled it, my queen.
Theegala finished tied-51 at seven-under at last week’s Travelers Championship
The golf star showed support for his fiancee, replying to her post on social media
‘I see how kind and caring you are to all that interact with you, and the people close to us know your real, incredible self.’
Striewski shares a second post about the interaction, defending his decision to approach Chan instead of Theegala, who was the professional athlete.
He claimed that he spoke to Chan as he felt the spouses of athletes were often ‘overlooked’.
However, he did not apologize for the interaction and many social media users claimed he was making the situation ‘more weird.’
