Truist Championship: Kristoffer Reitan claims his first PGA Tour title as Alex Fitzpatrick fades having held in a single day lead

Kristoffer Reitan secured the primary PGA Tour victory of his profession on Sunday evening, because the Norwegian pipped Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard to victory on the Truist Championship by two pictures.

Alex Fitzpatrick, who was that includes in solely his second occasion since successful his PGA Tour card ultimately month’s Zurich Traditional of New Orleans, had held a one-shot lead coming into the ultimate day however struggled to keep up his place on the high of the leaderboard, and a double bogey on 17 noticed him drop again to submit a closing rating of 12-under par, and finish his week at T4.

Reitan’s rise to the PGA Tour has been meteoric. Solely three years in the past, the 28-year-old had been struggling to maintain his card on the Resort Planner Tour – the DP World Tour’s feeder circuit.

On Sunday, he outlasted a pack of gamers at Quail Hole Membership, surging into the lead with birdies on the 14th and fifteenth holes to submit a closing spherical of 69 and end at 15-under par.

“A tremendous amount of relief and joy,” Reitan mentioned. “I can not put it into phrases, to be sincere. Even as we speak, I wasn’t fairly anticipating to stroll away with the win, though I used to be in a very good place earlier than as we speak.

“I really feel like it would occur if it occurs. My solely objective as we speak was to free it up as a lot as I can to permit myself the prospect to hit good pictures. I am so glad that I stored that focus the entire approach via. I am struggling to explain how I am feeling proper now.

“I love this place, it’s absolutely fantastic. I love the fact that it demands so much from your game, a historic venue. I’m super pleased to be walking away as the champion.”

After successful the PGA Tour’s sixth Signature Occasion of the 2026 season, Reitan will stroll away with a money prize of $3.6m (£2.65m) in addition to 700 FedExCup factors.

Fitzpatrick: “It’s still very surreal”

Fitzpatrick bought off to a bumpy begin, going three-over via his first three holes, with a bogey on the second and a double bogey on the third.

The Englishman bounced again after the flip, making three birdies in 4 holes, however got here unstuck on the par-three seventeenth, the second-hardest gap on the course this week, lacking the inexperienced earlier than failing to putt out for par. He wrapped up his spherical with a par on gap 18, to complete his week at 12-under par.

“It’s still very surreal,” Fitzpatrick, who’s projected to maneuver up 17 locations within the FedExCup standings to twenty second. “I still haven’t woken up, which I think is a good thing! I feel like it’s crazy to be disappointed, but somehow I’m a little disappointed.”

It has been an enormous 12 months for the Fitzpatrick brothers, with Alex having gained his first DP World Tour occasion on the Hero Indian Open in March earlier than happening to say his first PGA Tour title alongside his brother Matt, who ended his week on the Truist Championship at one-over par, tied for 52nd place.

“I felt like I didn’t play that bad, I got off to a slow start and kind of got unlucky with a few breaks,” Alex mentioned on his week.

“That’s the game and I’m happy to see [Reitan] win. He played really, really well today and hopefully mine is another time.”

Fowler gutted to not declare victory

Fowler had been out to win his first PGA Tour victory since 2023 and had been tied for the lead via 17 holes at 14-under par alongside Fitzpatrick and Reitan. The American chipped onto the 18th inexperienced to depart himself a 12ft putt for par, however agonisingly slid the shot large, to fall again to 13-under alongside Højgaard.

The Dane additionally turned a sufferer of Quail Hole’s ‘Inexperienced Mile’ – the testing closing three holes on the course – after he airmailed the inexperienced on gap 16 earlier than happening to make bogey.

Talking after wrapping up his spherical, Fowler mentioned: “Obviously, now bummed not to be in a position to at least maybe to be in a playoff or having a chance to win.

“However on the identical time in the event you would have instructed me at seven again that I used to be going to be out entrance and have an opportunity to pose, yeah, quite a lot of actually great things this week, particularly with being somewhat below the climate and form of beginning somewhat behind and placing collectively a pleasant spherical of golf on Friday, not shifting again yesterday, after which having a strong day as we speak.”

Fowler will turn his attention to the PGA Championship at Aronimink next week. His game is trending in the right direction, having finished inside the top-10 in his last three starts, all of which were Signature Events.

“A variety of great things and undoubtedly pleased with the place the sport’s been, the way it’s been progressing, and clearly the place we’re proper now,” Fowler mentioned.

McIlroy struggles at Quail Hole

Rory McIlroy returned to PGA Tour motion this week at his completely satisfied looking floor of Quail Hole. The Northern Irishman, who has taken 4 weeks off since he efficiently defended his Masters title in April, has gained right here 4 instances up to now, however after shifting to four-under par via 32 holes, McIlroy endured a tough third spherical, posting a four-over par 75.

He battled again on Sunday with a four-under 67, however would in the end end his week T19, admitting that he spent a “good bit of time” on the vary after a poor spherical on Saturday.

“I got off to a good start, but I hit the ball better,” McIlroy mentioned. “I started to hit it left yesterday with everything. I spent a good bit of time on the range last night just trying to straighten it out.

“The vary this week, the wind is predominantly been off the left, so I believe while you hit quite a lot of balls right into a left-to-right wind, you begin to purpose somewhat bit left. Your membership face can get somewhat bit closed at impression simply to attempt to counteract that wind. So, hitting balls the final 5 or 6 days in that left-to-right wind on the vary, I simply began to overlook some left on the course.

“So, I was trying to figure it out a little bit on the range last night, which I felt like I did, and I hit the ball much better today.”

Elsewhere, Tommy Fleetwood bounced again from an detached few weeks on the PGA Tour to submit his first top-10 end because the Gamers Championship in March.

He ended the event with a final-round rating of 69 to maneuver to T5 on the leaderboard at 11-under, with bogeys on 11 and 16 proving expensive.

Harry Corridor was one other who had points on the Inexperienced Mile, posting bogeys on 16 and 17 to wrap up his week at 10-under par.

What’s subsequent?

The boys’s main season continues this week with the PGA Championship, as Scottie Scheffler returns as defending champion and chasing a fifth main in as many seasons. Reside protection from Aronimink Golf Membership in Pennsylvania begins on Thursday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports activities Golf.

The following common PGA Tour occasion is The CJ Cup Byron Nelson from Might 21-24, the place Scheffler additionally defends. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract.

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