Thorbjornsen, who joined the Tour as a rookie in ۲۰۲۵, is widely considered one of the rising stars of US golf.
Published On ۳ Aug ۲۰۲۶۳ Aug ۲۰۲۶
Michael Thorbjornsen had come close to winning on the PGA Tour before, and he learned from those experiences.
That showed on Sunday when Thorbjornsen shot a flawless ۷-under ۶۳ to win the Rocket Classic and capture his first victory on the PGA Tour at Detroit Golf Club.
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“I’ve been in that position a few times this year and didn’t have the outcome I wanted,” Thorbjornsen said. “I knew how to handle it.”
Thorbjornsen finished at ۱۸-under ۲۶۲ for the tournament by draining a ۲۵ ۱/۲-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
Thorbjornsen, ۲۴, had the best round of the day for a two-stroke winning margin on Xander Schauffele (۶۵ on Sunday).
“The feeling’s unbelievable,” Thorbjornsen said. “I don’t really know how to feel. I’m feeling a lot of things, I can’t really put the words to it. Just extremely, extremely grateful to be sitting here right now.”
Third-round leader Davis Riley (۷۰) placed third at ۱۵ under and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard (۶۸) was fourth at ۱۴ under.
Thorbjornsen clinched a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs, but he had to wait for the final two threesomes to finish before fully celebrating the victory in his ۶۵th start on the tour. He had two top-۱۰ finishes this year prior to this tournament.
“Just to be in the playoffs, first time, is very exciting,” he said. “Always great to be playing against the best players in the world.”
On Sunday, Thorbjornsen played the final nine holes, including chipping in for birdie on the ۱۲th hole, at ۵ under.
Schauffele remains without a victory this year, but this marked his sixth top-۱۰ finish and his third top-four finish.
“I wanted to come here and get a few feels, I guess, in play and kind of just freewheel it with sort of a nothing-to-lose mentality,” Schauffele said.
Riley, who hasn’t won since ۲۰۲۴, started the round with a birdie on the first hole before hitting a five-hole stretch with three bogeys.
“Just the start to today got the best of me and kind of put me behind the ۸-ball early unfortunately,” Riley said of the first few holes. “Tried to claw my way back the best I could but unfortunately came up a little bit short. But a lot to build on.”
Hojgaard had an eagle on the par-۵ fourth hole and reached ۴ under for the round through ۱۰ holes before a bogey on No. ۱۱ and another on No. ۱۸.
Before the final groups were halfway through the last round, at least seven golfers had ascended to at least a share of the top spot.
“It was such a battle,” Thorbjornsen said. “Everyone was in the mix after nine holes.”
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (۶۴) had the day’s second-best round and finished tied for fifth place at ۱۳ under. He began on the back nine and was bogey-free.
Norway’s Kristoffer Ventura (۶۸) and England’s Matt Wallace (۶۷) joined Matsuyama at ۱۳ under.
Because of weather-related concerns, the start of the round was pushed back, and golfers were grouped in threesomes with players starting from the first and ۱۰th tees.
