Amateur hour: Thorbjornsen finishes fourth at Travelers
Jun. 27—CROMWELL — There's no telling what a Stanford University education is worth.
But Michael Thorbjornsen would be $406,700 richer today if he were a professional golfer and not about to enter his junior year at Stanford in the fall.
Thorbjornsen, playing on a sponsor's exemption, shot a 4-under-par 66 Sunday and his total of 15-under 265 gave him fourth place at the Travelers Championship, four shots behind winner Xander Schauffele.
The 20-year-old from Wellesley, Massachusetts left TPC River Highlands with an empty wallet but with memories that filled the day and will last for years.
"It gives me some confidence," Thorbjornsen said. "I think the thing is that I played well. I felt like I played well, but I didn't feel like I played incredible. I definitely left a couple shots out there, had some miscues, mental errors throughout the week. But it feels good. I played solid."
His fourth-place showing is the best in tournament history here. Jim Grant tied for sixth at the 1966 Insurance City Open at Wethersfield Country Club, five strokes in back of champion Art Wall.
He was trying to become the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson captured the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Arizona.
Thorbjornsen qualified for last week's U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts by surviving an 8-for-3 playoff. The 2021 Massachusetts Amateur champ shot 77-69 to miss the cut by three.
He opened with rounds of 68 and 65 here and he shot 66 Saturday to pull within four strokes of the lead going into the final round. Sunday, he made five pars before making eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. After a par on No. 7, he ran off four birdies in a row to pull within one of Schauffele and the lead.
"I didn't really know I was one back," Thorbjornsen said. "I figured I was around there, but I was thinking, 'OK, well, let's go. Let's keep it going. Let's try and hit some good shots.' "
Poor drives led to back-to-back bogeys on No. 12 and 13 that dropped him out of contention but he would close his weekend out with four pars and received a loud ovation from his fellow New Englanders as he approached the green on the 72nd hole.
"It's better than like how I dreamt about it," Thorbjornsen said. "It's so loud. It was very welcoming.
"The hospitality here is amazing. I love the course, love the way it fits my game. I guess the only thing is it might be a little too hot, but I will definitely come back here if I can."
Next for Thorbjornsen is a trip to London Tuesday for a qualifier for the Open Championship to be held at St. Andrew's in three weeks. He confirmed that he will return to Stanford for his junior year. As a sophomore, he was named a second-team All-American and finished 32nd in the NCAA Championships.
So what happens to the money that Thorbjornsen would have received if he were a professional? Basically, the pros move up a spot. So No. 5 Chesson Hadley got a check for $406,700 instead of fifth-place money of $340,300.
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