Kristoffer Reitan, a rookie from Norway, achieved his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Truist Championship. Entering the final day trailing leader Alex Fitzpatrick by a single shot, Reitan carded a 2-under-par 69 on Sunday, ultimately securing a two-stroke win.
“I’m absolutely over the moon,” expressed Reitan, a 28-year-old who clinched his first Tour title in his 15th career start. “It happened way sooner than I would have imagined. Awesome, awesome experience.”
Following a bogey-free 64 on Saturday that propelled him into contention at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, Reitan played even par through the front nine on Sunday while Fitzpatrick struggled at 3 over. Fitzpatrick rallied with birdies on three of the first four holes of the back nine, but Reitan surged ahead with birdies at the 14th and 15th holes.
Fitzpatrick’s chances were dashed by a double bogey on the 17th hole, allowing Reitan to par in and finish with a tournament total of 15-under-par 269. Rickie Fowler’s closing 65 placed him in a tie for second at 13 under, alongside Nicolai Højgaard, who shot a 68. Fitzpatrick concluded the tournament in fourth place, three shots behind the winner, at 12-under-par 272 after a final-round 73.
Reitan Contemplated a YouTube Golf Career
Reitan revealed that he had considered shifting to a career in YouTube golf due to dissatisfaction with his performance, which led to him losing 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 shared.
“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 attributed his change in perspective to taking a break from the sport rather than pursuing a YouTube channel.
“It helped me find my game again,” Reitan stated. “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 secured two victories on the DP World Tour and earned his PGA Tour membership for the first time by finishing within the top 10 of the DP World Tour’s 2025 Race to Dubai. His previous best performance this season was a tie for second place at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his partner Kris Ventura, finishing one shot behind Fitzpatrick and his brother, Matt.
Fowler’s Strong Start Fades
Fowler began his final round with an impressive performance, making five birdies on the 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 commented.
However, Fowler, who started the day seven shots off the lead, was unable to maintain his momentum.
Playing several groups ahead of the leaders, Fowler missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, at which point Reitan, Fitzpatrick, and Højgaard had joined him in a four-way tie for the lead.
Reitan took the lead permanently when he reached the par-5 15th green in two strokes and made a two-putt birdie. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick’s approach shot from thick rough barely reached the fringe, resulting in a par and dropping him back one shot. Højgaard bogeyed the 16th, falling two shots behind.
Fowler’s chances of victory effectively ended when his approach shot on the 18th hole landed in the deep rough on the left side of the green, and his subsequent chip fell short, leading to a bogey.
Fowler stands as the sole player to achieve top-10 finishes in all four recent Signature Events (T9/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, T8/RBC Heritage, T9/Cadillac Championship, T2/Truist Championship). The six-time Tour winner secured his inaugural victory at the 2012 Truist Championship.
Disappointing Finish for Young
The final day proved to be a disappointing one for Cameron Young, currently ranked world No. 3. Aiming for his second consecutive win after triumphing at the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral the previous week, Young began the day just two shots behind the leaders. However, he suffered a double bogey on the second hole and managed only one birdie for the remainder of his round. He finished with a 74, tying for 10th place, six shots off the lead.
In a separate event, the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, Brandt Snedeker concluded with a 5-under-par 66 to secure his first PGA Tour title in nearly eight years. This victory earned him a spot in the upcoming PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, located outside of Philadelphia, PA.