For Kristoffer Reitan, this moment was never part of the plan. Standing on the 18th green at Quail Hollow Club after outlasting Rickie Fowler and Alex Fitzpatrick to claim the Truist Championship, a PGA Tour Signature Event, the Norwegian struggled to describe a career-defining win—one that perfectly mirrors his remarkable journey.
Not long ago, Reitan set down his clubs. Golf no longer brought him joy, only frustration. The spark that once fueled his passion had faded, and he considered his next steps—perhaps diving into the YouTube golf world or walking away from the sport entirely. Then, months later, he realized the spark wasn’t gone; it just needed rekindling. He returned to the game on his own terms, playing with friends and hitting shots when he felt like it. Slowly, the love returned.
Reitan climbed from the Challenge Tour to the DP World Tour. Then, a year ago at the Soudal Open, lightning struck. Starting the final round nine shots behind, he birdied nine of his last 15 holes to fire a course-record 62 and ultimately win in a playoff.
“I don’t know what to say,” a stunned Reitan said that day in Belgium. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I keep thinking back to a few years ago when I considered stopping because I wasn’t enjoying it anymore or seeing progress. To turn it around the way I have the last couple of years has been amazing—and to seal it with a victory here is ridiculous.”
That win, plus another, earned him a PGA Tour card. His rookie season started slowly, but his game clicked over the past month. Then came another twist: last week, Reitan entered the Cadillac Championship only because Jake Knapp withdrew on Thursday morning. He surged into contention at Doral but faded on Sunday. As he finished his final hole in Miami, he didn’t expect to make the field in Charlotte. But despite a double bogey on his last hole, Reitan sneaked into the Truist field and seized the opportunity.
One week later, he had outperformed the world’s best, reaching a place that seemed impossible when he put down his clubs in 2022.
“I don’t have any words, to be honest,” Reitan said after his win. “This is way more than I expected, and for it to happen this quickly is unreal. Yeah, a dream come true.”
Reitan admitted he once considered becoming a YouTube golfer to “get the fun competitiveness back.” He was weighing his life’s direction and golf’s role in it. Ultimately, he found something to carry him along the long road to his triumphant moment at Quail Hollow.
“I was just trying to find ways to make it more fun, to give my golf journey a little bit of energy, and to have fun while playing so I could endure the hardships that come with professional golf,” Reitan said.
“It helped me find my game again. It helped me discover my talents again,” he told CBS’ Amanda Balionis. “That was something really important to me, which I try to remind myself of every single day. So that was definitely a huge thing for me to get back and start playing some good golf again.”
The 28-year-old Norwegian began his climb on the lower tiers of the European Tour, a necessary step to become the kind of golfer who could tame Quail Hollow and beat the world’s best. Since picking up his clubs again and committing fully to the professional grind, Reitan always believed this was possible—that he could achieve what now feels like a dream come true.
