Thomas Detry fired a final-round 6-under-par 65 to win the WM Phoenix Open by seven shots for the Belgian’s first PGA Tour victory.
Detry, 32, posted a 24-under 260 total on rounds of 66-64-65-65. Michael Kim and Daniel Berger both shot 4-under 67s on Sunday to tie for second place at 17-under 267.
Jordan Spieth, playing in only his second tournament since undergoing wrist surgery in August, was at 16 under after a 68 to tie for fourth place with Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who shot 66.
Detry, who earned $1.656 million for the win, began the final day with a five-shot lead over Berger, Kim, Spieth and Rasmus Hojgaard. He closed his round Sunday with four consecutive birdies, including an electrifying tee shot to just inches on the tournament’s iconic par-3 16th hole.
Thomas Detry’s Dream Finally Comes True
“It’s incredible, it’s what dreams are made of,” said Detry, who won in his 68th career Tour start to become the first player from Belgium to win on the Tour after twice finishing second. “I’ve given myself plenty of chances in the past and I’ve never been able to conclude. Being able to put a statement out like that is pretty incredible, so I’m just over the moon, so happy.
Detry, who twice represented Belgium in the Olympics, got off to a fast start Sunday by sinking a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole. He bogeyed the second hole when he failed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker but bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 third.
Thomas Detry celebrates winning the WM Phoenix Open with his wife, Sarah, and their children.
He had a four-shot lead after going out in 1-under 34. He reached 20 under with a birdie on the hardest hole on the course, the 470-yard, par-4 11th, and added a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th before his near-ace on 16.
Detry got up-and-down for birdie on the short par-4 17th and closed out in style, sinking a 9-foot birdie putt on 18 to become the fifth international winner in the Tour’s first six events of 2025 along with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan (The Sentry), Nick Taylor of Canada (Sony Open), Sepp Straka of Austria (The American Express), and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am).
“This course, there are birdies out there, but once you start missing fairways, those tricky pin positions and the firm greens, the course can bite you,” Detry said. “So I was able to trust my game and kind of rely on that.”
Berger’s charge Not enough
Berger pulled within three shots with birdies on No. 12 and 13, then chipped in for par on 14 after barely getting his third shot out of a greenside bunker. He briefly cut into the lead with a birdie on the 15th, but Detry followed with a birdie of his own.
“I tried to just do my best to put pressure on him, but every time I felt like I made a birdie, he made one back,” said Berger, who was paired with Detry. “He was playing really great golf today and he was deserving to win this.”
Spieth shot a 2-under 33 on the front to get to 15 under, but had only one birdie, making an incredible up-and-down on the 17th, over his final 11 holes.
“All in all, it was a big progress week for me,” Spieth said. “I didn’t feel like this was a one-off. It felt like this is just trending the right direction.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, making his second start of the year after sustaining a hand injury in December and a two-time tournament winner, shot a closing 72 after starting the final round with birdies on four of his first six holes. He finished tied for 25th with six others at 9 under.
Genesis moves to Torrey Pines
Because of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the PGA Tour moved this week’s Genesis Invitational from Riviera Country Club to the South course at Torrey Pines, which held the Farmers Insurance Open three weeks ago. The fires have not damaged Riviera, but it is located in the Pacific Palisades, which was devastated by wildfires that destroyed more than 14,000 structures in the Los Angeles area.
Tiger Woods, the tournament host, is not playing in the event. The field includes four of the top five players in the world rankings – Scheffler, No. 3 McIlroy, No. 4 Collin Morikawa, and No. 5 Matsuyama. No. 2 Xander Schauffele is not playing due to a soft tissue right rib injury.
