Kristoffer Reitan pulled off a victory at Quail Hollow Club by winning the 2026 Truist Championship in just his 12th start on the PGA Tour. The Norwegian finished with a total score of 269, which he was uns.

Reitan earned himself a victory which he described as "absolutely over the moon." His rounds of 66-70-64-69 secured the two-shot win. He qualified for Quail Hollow despite a costly double bogey at the end of the Cadillac Championship.

"The fact that I made double bogey apparently helped me, which makes no sense, but I'll take it," Reitan admitted regarding his bizarre path to the field.

During his post-tournament press conference, Reitan explained he was only in the field due to late withdrawals.

He was informed of his qualification minutes after finishing tied for the 14th position at Doral, where reporters broke the surprising news.

The odd situation stemmed from the Aon Next 10 standings. Alex Smalley's late bogey at the Cognizant Cadillac Championship bumped Smalley into the Aon 10, inadvertently shifting the qualification categories for others.

This shift allowed Reitan to qualify through the Aon 5 category. Despite his own double bogey at Doral, the reshuffled standings squeezed him into the Truist field just minutes after he signed his card.

Kristoffer Reitan on Navigating the Path to Victory 

The victory marks a sudden surge in form for Reitan, who had only managed one top-10 finish at the Valero Texas Open since joining the PGA Tour before this triumph. 

"I think I've made some steps in multiple areas of the game, but definitely a big one for sure is the belief that I can do it," Reitan said after his maiden win.

The golf pro attributed his recent good form to the positive mindset changes and regained confidence. This mental evolution came after the Reitan had considered walking away from the pressures of the professional circuit entirely.

He previously held serious discussions about pursuing a YouTube career before finding his stride.

"I think YouTube golf would have given me maybe some of that fun competitiveness back, maybe not the serious competitiveness, if that makes sense."

From putting down his clubs to earning a spot on the PGA Tour, Reitan has managed to turn his journey around with the Truist Championship win.

Reitan is determined to use this opportunity and prepare for a tough competition next week at Aronimink, where the 2026 PGA Championship tees off.

Do you think Kristoffer Reitan can carry his momentum forward to the PGA Championship? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Surjo Ray