The Phoenix Open

Belgium’s Thomas Detry finished with four straight birdies on the Sunday of the Phoenix Open to finish a commendable 7 shots clear of second-placed Americans Michael Kim and Daniel Berger.

The event annually takes place at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, a course renowned for its stadium-like par-3 16^th hole complete with colourful fan behaviour. Renowned players like Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia were met with catastrophic cheers when playing the iconic hole.

Detry was in full force from the beginning, and subsequent rounds of 64 and 65 saw him entering the Sunday five full strokes ahead of Rasmus Højgaard, Daniel Berger, Jordan Spieth, and Michael Kim, who were all joint-second on 13-under-par.

Kim and Berger were both hungry to overtake Detry and scored 4-under on their final rounds, but the Belgian couldn’t be caught. Detry secured 5 birdies in his final 9-holes including four in a row on his closing holes.

Detry became the first player from Belgium to secure a PGA Tour title. When commenting on his Hollywood finish, he admitted he was over the moon “It’s incredible, it’s what dreams are made of. That walk on the last hole was incredible. I’ve given myself plenty of chances in the past but never been able to conclude. I’m just so happy.”

The win over the weekend has also raised questions as to whether Detry could prove himself to be included in this year’s Ryder Cup taking place at Bethpage Black in New York. When asked, Detry confirmed he felt it was within his reach:

“The Ryder Cup is something that I really want to be a part of. I don’t want to say it’s a goal, like I don’t play golf this year to reach that Ryder Cup team. I think my good game and my achieving goals will kind of naturally qualify me for the Ryder Cup team.”

He certainly seems up for it, and if he keeps playing like this he might just catch Luke Donald’s eye. If you’re playing golf yourself this week we’d be happy to help you in the pro shop with any of your golfing needs.