Michael Thorbjornsen missed his birdie putt, then tapped in for par at 18 and the crowd gathered around the amphitheater at the TPC River Highlands began to swell in volume. Thorbjornsen, a quiet teenager, walked over to his best friend and caddie, Drew Cohen, for a hug, then walked off, waving his club and tipping his hat.
“It’s surreal,” Thorbjornsen said. “I can’t even ... it’s better than how I dreamt about it.”
For a time in Sunday’s final round of the Travelers Championship, it looked as if Thorbjornsen, a sophomore at Stanford, might make major history. After an eagle on the sixth hole and four birdies, he was one shot off the lead, in contention to become the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
