Rookie contender in Truist was one shot from not making $20 million field

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. 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.

‘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.