Well, we’re still waiting for that post-final major championship of the year hangover to set in.
A week after Jackson Koivun picked up his first win on the PGA Tour in just his third start as a professional, Michael Thorbjornsen earned his maiden victory on Tour at the Rocket Classic, making it back-to-back weeks that two of American golf’s most highly anticipated players found the winner’s circle.
While it has felt like a long time coming for Thorbjornsen to cross the finish line from an outsider’s perspective, it’s fair to say the wait has felt significantly longer for the 24-year-old himself after the journey he’s already been on in his young career.
Michael Thorbjornsen of the United States poses for photos with the trophy during the final round of the Rocket Classic 2026 at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, USA, August 2, 2026. (Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Speaking of a long time, it has been nearly four full years since Patrick Cantlay won a golf tournament, and based on his strategy during Sunday’s final round at the Rocket, he seems perfectly content with that reality.
Finally, this weekend will mark the end of the PGA Tour regular season. As per usual, there are some big-time names on the outside looking in when it comes to punching tickets to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. We’ll take a look at them and toss some predictions out there.
This is Par Talk, a weekly read to get you caught up on all the happenings that took place in professional golf that you need to know. You can follow Mark on X @itismarkharris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com.
Michael Thorbjornsen’s frustrating path to PGA Tour victor
It’s not entirely fair to pin the statement ‘it’s a matter of when, not if this player wins on the PGA Tour’ on someone, because winning on the PGA Tour is outrageously difficult. Michael Thorbjornsen, however, has certainly had that sentiment attached to his name for years now.
It took Thorbjornsen 65 starts on Tour to earn his first victory, and while that number may seem somewhat large, context is supremely important to look at in the case of his career.
In August 2023, he suffered a stress fracture in his back that forced him to miss out on playing in the U.S. Amateur and a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team. Later that same year, he underwent ankle surgery while still recovering from his back injury. He’s also withdrawn from multiple PGA Tour events mid-round due to other injuries.
While overall he’s hit the ground running since turning professional in June 2024 with 40 made cuts and 20 Top 25 finishes in his 64 previous starts before finding the winner’s circle at the Rocket Classic, he’s dealt with some battles most players in his age bracket avoid.
With all that in mind for the former Stanford standout, his come-from-behind win and slamming of the door on the 72nd hole made for a compelling scene on Sunday afternoon.
Thor began the day four shots off the lead, and while knowing he’d need his best stuff to climb to the top of the leaderboard, he went out and fired a bogey-free 63 to eventually snag a two-shot victory. It’s worth mentioning he did so while playing alongside major champion Xander Schauffele, who was firmly in the mix on the back nine on Sunday as well.
Thorbjornsen has some catching up to do when it comes to fellow 24-year-old Tour players like four-time winner Tom Kim and three-time winner Akshay Bhatia, but it has been abundantly clear he has the tools, the speed, and a sneaky great game around the greens to jump into the upper echelons of players, not just younger players, on the PGA Tour.
We’ve got questions, Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay began Sunday’s final round five shots back of the lead. Sure, that’s a large deficit to try and erase, but firing a low round in the 60s and seeing what the leaders end up doing behind you seems like a game plan to implement when you’re a guy searching for your first win since August 2022.
Patrick Cantlay of the United States plays his shot from the ninth tee during the final round of the Rocket Classic 2026 at Detroit Golf Club on August 02, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
After getting to 2-under for the day through his opening five holes, Cantlay carded a bogey on the Par 4 7th hole, which is forgivable given it played as the hardest hole on the course on Sunday. He then sent a clear, embarrassing, and sad message on the eighth tee.
The Par 4 8th hole was the easiest hole on the golf course for the final round, playing at just 332 yards and drivable for a large chunk of the field. The overwhelming majority of players attempted to drive the green, and at worst, left themselves a chip shot of less than 20 or so yards, giving them a great opportunity at birdie, or maybe even an eagle.
Cantlay opted to hit an iron off the tee, leaving himself 130 yards to the pin. Mind you, Sunday’s final round was played under lift-clean-and-place conditions given the rain the golf course had taken on overnight. The greens were incredibly receptive, and controlling spin with a full wedge shot as opposed to a chip shot makes the eighth hole significantly more difficult, but clearly, Cantlay didn’t see it that way.
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He ultimately hit his approach shot to 21 feet, missed the birdie putt, and walked away with a lifeless par.
Cantlay finished T-8, and of the 13 other players who finished T-8 or better, only Hideki Matsuyama and Michael Kim chose to lay up on the eighth as he did.
The Bubble Boys
This week’s Wyndham Championship is the final opportunity for players to earn a Top 70 spot in the FedEx Cup standings, earn a spot into the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, and keep their seasons alive, and there are some notable names who have to have big weeks in order to accomplish that.
Keegan Bradley (72), Jason Day (75), Brandt Snedeker (83), Brooks Koepka (86), Tony Finau (89), Lucas Glover (96), and Billy Horschel (107) will start the week on the outside looking in. That list of players has a combined eight major championships and two FedEx Cup titles between them. Despite winning just two weeks ago, Koivun is the bubble boy, beginning the week at No. 70 in the standings.
Brooks Koepka of the USA tees off the 4th during day two of The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport. Picture date: Friday July 17, 2026. (Photo by David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images) (David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)
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Of the names listed above, it’s going to take each of the guys outside the Top 80 to have huge weeks to earn a spot in the field in Memphis. Snedeker’s name stands out as a two-time Wyndham Championship winner. While Sneds has great history to lean on, Koepka has played the event just three times in his career, with the last being a missed cut in 2020.
Let’s go out on a limb, however, and predict Koepka finally puts it all together this week, does enough and gets enough help as well, to sneak inside the Top 70.
