Sunday wasn’t supposed to be Kristoffer Reitan’s day, but sometimes golf delivers the unthinkable.
The 27-year-old Norwegian started the final round of the DP World Tour’s Soudal Open nine shots off the lead set by Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson. A win wasn’t on Reitan’s mind when he teed off early at Rinkven International GC in Antwerp, Belgium.
Reitan birdied the first but bogeyed the third to get his round off to a ho-hum start. Then came the deluge: Reitan poured in nine birdies in his final 15 holes to shoot a course-record nine-under 62 and post the clubhouse lead at 13 under.
Ferguson held the lead when he stepped on the tee at the 18th, but a poor second shot flew over the green and against the grandstand. Ferguson failed to get up-and-down, setting up a three-way playoff with Reitan and Darius van Driel.
All three players made par on the first playoff hole, and the trio hit their approaches on the second playoff hole to within makable birdie distance. Van Driel and Ferguson both missed their birdie putts, which opened the door for Reitan to cap off a day no one saw coming. The Norwegian gave a confident stroke and rolled in the 15-foot birdie putt to claim his first DP World Tour title.
