08/02/26 05:23:00
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08/02 17:21 CDT Michael Thorbjornsen wins 1st PGA Tour title by 2 shots at the
8th and final Rocket Classic
Michael Thorbjornsen wins 1st PGA Tour title by 2 shots at the 8th and final
Rocket Classic
By LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer
DETROIT (AP) --- Michael Thorbjornsen made a 26-foot putt for birdie on his
last hole to shoot 7-under 63 and reach 18 under to win his first PGA Tour
title by two shots at the final Rocket Classic on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Thorbjornsen sealed his spot in the FedEx Cup playoff after
rolling into the Motor City No. 69 in the standings. The top 70 advance to the
postseason after next week's Wyndham Championship.
Thorbjornsen started the fourth round three shots behind leader Davis Riley,
whose rough start opened opportunities for the field. Thorbjornsen took
advantage, surging into the lead at No. 14 with his third of four birdies in a
six-hole stretch and closing with a clutch, curling putt that went in the right
side of the cup.
"Perfect pace, perfect read," he said.
He's the eighth first-time winner this season on the PGA Tour and the second
straight, following Jackson Koivun's victory last week at the 3M Open.
"It was such a battle, playing with some great players," Thorbjornsen said.
"Everyone was in the mix after nine holes."
Xander Schauffele (65) briefly led during the final round and finished second,
two shots back. Riley (70) was another stroke behind in third, falling out of
the lead with four bogeys.
Rasmus Hojgaard (68) was alone in fourth, four shots back.
Hideki Matsuyama (64), Matt Wallace (67), Kristoffer Ventura (68) were another
stroke back, tied for fifth.
Thorbjornsen was born in Cleveland, grew up in Massachusetts and attended
Stanford. He won the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur over Akshay Bhatia, who has three
PGA Tour wins.
Thorbjornsen chipped in from 35 feet for birdie at No. 12 on a day when he
accurately aimed for pins that left him with some short birdie putts before his
long one on his 72nd hole.
He had a bogey-free round, an accomplishment many other players on the
leaderboard were unable to pull off on a day that started with rain and became
windy when the clouds cleared.
Riley started with a one-shot lead and quickly lost it --- and couldn't find
his ball in fescue at No. 4 after about a dozen people helped him try --- with
three bogeys through six holes.
He rallied with three birdies in a seven-hole stretch before giving back a
stroke with a bogey at No. 17, taking away his chance to possibly force the
tournament into a playoff.
The eighth and final Rocket Classic drew its strongest field and biggest crowds.
The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028, effectively creating two tours
and Rocket Mortgage decided not to exercise its option to host another
tournament next year. The Detroit-based company isn't interested in continuing
to spend $15 million a year to be part of the second tier in the new era and
didn't want to double the costs to be part of the elite tier.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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