If you scratched your head when the name Kristoffer Reitan appeared on the leaderboard in the Truist Championship, you’re not alone. There’s really been no reason to notice the 28-year-old Norwegian who is a rookie on the PGA Tour, other than a late Sunday charge a few weeks ago in the team Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Reitan arrived to compete in America this year on the strength of a top-10 finish in last season’s DP World Tour standings. It’s a handsome reward for those toiling on the European circuit, and then there is this: The PGA Tour has its promotion model into the big events in the form of in-season ladders—the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5.
Advertisement
Put simply, play great early in the season and now you’re truly competing in the big leagues.
That leads to Reitan, who’s posted three top-14s in his past four starts, including a T-2 in the Zurich Classic, where he and Kris Ventura made some noise with a final-round 65.
It looked as if Reitan had played well enough to advance into his first signature event, the Truist, but then he was crushed by making two double bogeys, including at the 72nd hole, in the final round of the Cadillac Championship last week.
“On the 18th tee on Sunday last week I was not in the tournament this week,” Reitan recalled on Saturday. “Because I made double and one more player bogeyed, [Alex] Smalley hopped up a couple spots on the leaderboard, which then put him in the Aon 10, which then put me in the Aon 5.
Advertisement
‘It was a little bit mind blowing,” Reitan said. “But I’ll take it.”
Of course he will because Reitan heads into Sunday’s final round at Quail Hollow trailing only fellow rookie Alex Fitzpatrick (14 under) by one shot after both players scored 64 in the third round. It figures to be a nervy final round for each, as they’re most closely trailed, at 12 under, by World No. 4 Cam Young, whose Cadillac victory last week followed his earlier triumph in the Players Championship.
Asked what he was most excited about for the final round, Reitan said, “Just the opportunity to be near the leaderboard on a Sunday at a PGA Tour event … rookie season, I’m just over the moon about that.”
The trio at the top have some interesting ties. Reitan and Fitzpatrick go back to their junior golf days together in Europe, and they now belong to the same golf club in Florida. It was also Alex, along with brother Matt, who beat out Reitan and Ventura in capturing the Zurich.
Advertisement
Meantime, Alex Fitzpatrick and Young overlapped for one college season at Wake Forest.
“He’s great. I have nothing but good things to say about Cam,” Fitzpatrick said. “Him, and then there was probably two other seniors—Kyle [Sterbinsky], his caddie—they all looked after me and took my under their wing. … I love him to bits. Happy to be out here with him.”
Young thought of Fitzpatrick enough to text him when the Englishman won his first DP World Tour title in March in India. At that point, Fitzpatrick hadn’t earned his PGA Tour card. That came with the win in New Orleans.
“Didn’t think he was thinking he would see me in the next two weeks,” Fitzpatrick said, “but, yeah, he sent me a nice text. Every time he’s played well, I feel like I’ve tried to message him as well. Yeah, the feeling is mutual.”
Read the full article here