Michael Thorbjornsen showed excellent poise and determination to take his first PGA Tour title at the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Having suffered so close to winning a championship earlier in the season, Thorbjornsen was able to put those lessons to the test Sunday and delivered an outstanding seven-under 63, and scored a clutch birdie putt on the last green to finish with 18-under 262.
The victory wasn’t easy in a loaded field with at least seven players either behind or leading on a chaotic and tightly packed Sunday. The leaderboard was still in play on the back nine, but Thorbjornsen was at his best when it counted and played the last nine holes at five under par. This remarkable stretch included a solid chip-in for birdie on the twelfth hole and was what kept him from falling behind the pack and secured his two-stroke win.
Xander Schauffele achieved the runner-up position with a closing round of 65 and continued a long-time career with multiple top-4 finishes, while still searching for a tournament win. The third-round leader Davis Riley did not have easy days early on with a rough run of bogeys which ultimately derailed his title aspirations and he ended up third at fifteen under par after a round of 70. Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark was fourth at fourteen under after an eagle on the fourth hole and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan scored the best round of the day with a flawless 64 to finish fifth behind Kristoffer Ventura and Matt Wallace.
And Thorbjornsen has done well in the past sixty-five tour starts as well as two top-ten finishes. And he’s in the FedEx Cup playoffs as well, so he’s won a big seasonal goal. Thorbjornsen had to wait a long time Sunday for the last two groups to finish up and then have to get to the finish line, but he’s now among the tour's rising stars and confident in the fight against the top players around the world.
