Entering the final day of the Truist Championship one shot behind leader Alex Fitzpatrick, Kristoffer Reitan shot a 2-under-par 69 for a two-shot victory and his first PGA Tour title.
“I’m absolutely over the moon,” said Reitan, a 28-year-old rookie who won in his 15th Tour start. “It happened way sooner than I would have imagined. Awesome, awesome experience.”
After posting a bogey-free 64 on Saturday to get into contention at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., the Norwegian went out in even par on Sunday while Fitzpatrick was 3 over. The Englishman got back to even par with three birdies on the first four holes of the back nine, but Reitan went ahead with birdies on the 14th and 15th holes.
Fitzpatrick took himself out of the running with a double bogey on the 17th and Reitan parred in to finish at 15-under 269. Rickie Fowler shot a closing 65 to tie for second at 13 under with Nicolai Højgaard, who shot 68. Fitzpatrick finished three shots back in fourth at 12-under 272 after shooting 73.
Reitan Considered Going to YouTube
Unhappy with his game, Reitan said he considered becoming a YouTube golfer after he lost his DP Tour card.
“I was considering whether or not I wanted to continue playing professionally. So, yeah, I just had some thoughts about how to make the game a little bit more fun, a little bit more relaxed,” Reitan said.
“I think YouTube golf would have given me maybe some of that fun competitiveness back, maybe not the serious competitiveness, if that makes sense. So I was just trying to find ways to make it more fun to give my journey in golf a little bit of energy, and trying to have fun while I’m playing so that I can endure the hardships that follow with professional golf.”
He said simply taking a break from golf, instead of starting a YouTube channel, changed his perspective on his golf.
“It helped me find my game again,” Reitan said. “It helped me discover my talents again. That was something really important to me, which I try to remind myself of every single day. So that was definitely a huge thing for me getting back and starting to play some good golf again.”
Last year, Reitan won twice on the DP World Tour and earned PGA Tour membership for the first time by finishing inside the top 10 of the DP World Tour’s 2025 Race to Dubai. His best previous finish this year was a tie for second a few weeks ago at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with teammate Kris Ventura. They finished one shot behind Fitzpatrick and his brother, Matt.
Fowler Surged into the Lead
Fowler got off to a red-hot start Sunday with five birdies on his front nine to go out in 30 and take a one-shot lead over Reitan.
“The first nine was ‘Let’s go have a good day,’ and back nine was, ‘Hey, we actually are in a spot where we can go win this,’” Fowler said.
But Fowler, who started the day seven shots behind, couldn’t sustain the momentum.
Playing four groups ahead of the leaders, Fowler missed a 6-foot birdie putt on 16 while Reitan, Fitzpatrick, and Højgaardpulled into a four-way tie for the lead with him.
Reitan took the lead for good when he reached the par-5 15th green in two and two-putted for birdie. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick’s wedge got caught up in the thick rough, and his chip barely made the fringe, leading to a par and dropping him back one shot. Højgaard made a bogey on 16 to fall two back.
Fowler’s chances ended when his approach shot on the 18th hole landed in the deep rough on the left side of the green, and his chip came out short, leading to bogey.
Fowler is the only player with top-10 finishes in each of the last four Signature Events (T9/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, T8/RBC Heritage, T9/Cadillac Championship, T2/Truist Championship). The six-time Tour winner got his first victory at the 2012 Truist Championship.
Tough Finish for Young
It was a disappointing day for Cameron Young, the world’s No. 3 player. Seeking his second straight win after a victory last week at the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, Young started the day just two shots off the lead but had a double bogey on the second hole and never recovered, with just one birdie the rest of the day. He finished with a 74 and tied for 10th, six shots behind.
In the opposite field, ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, Brandt Snedeker closed with a 5-under 66 to win his first PGA Tour title in nearly eight years, which earned him a spot in this week’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia, PA.
