Kristoffer Reitan Defies Odds In Run-Up To The PGA Championship

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Even if you are a big PGA Tour fan, there is a good chance you don’t know the name Kristoffer Reitan. The Norwegian golfer hadn’t won on the PGA Tour entering the 2026 Truist Championship, but that all changed with his two-shot victory at Quail Hollow Club Sunday.

It was Reitan who outlasted some big name players down the stretch to not just claim his first PGA Tour victory, but a signature event which will net him over $3 million dollars.

Reitan pulled off all the shots as he overcame the likes of Rickie Fowler, Nicolai Højgaard, and Alex Fitzpatrick who all faltered down the stretch to open the door for the 28-year-old to win in Charlotte, NC.

The signature win will not just have Reitan in the PGA Championship next weekend, the second major of the 2026 PGA Tour schedule, but also into the Masters in 2026 and all signature events next year.

Reitan will boost his overall value from sportsbooks entering the major next week, but only time will tell if this was a one-and-done situation, or Reitan planting his flag as a mainstay on tour.

Only time will tell, but it’s time to take a look at our picks from the Truist Championship to see how we did.

2026 Truist Championship Odds

Let’s start with a review of the odds to win the tournament heading into Thursday:

Rory McIlroy (+580)
Cameron Young (+980)
Xander Schauffele (+1150)
Matt Fitzpatrick (+1700)
Ludvig Aberg (+1750)

When it comes to picks for this signature event, I like to start with my favorite and long shot picks for the tournament. The favorite pick is the pick I like the most for an outright winner. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

We have hit a couple outright winners this season, but last week we swung-and-missed at the Cadillac Championship.

Did we do better in the Truist?

Favorite: Rory McIlroy (+580) - MISS

Rory hadn’t played since the Masters, and there were times during the Truist where it showed. Even though Rory has dominated Quail Hollow throughout his career, his Saturday round put him out of the running for the victory. Ultimately, I don’t think Rory played poorly, but his T19 finish is a far cry from the winner’s circle.

Long Shot: Tommy Fleetwood (+2400) - MISS

I haven’t hit a long shot pick since I started making picks, and Fleetwood was closing in on the lead until he just couldn’t make the shots necessary to win. Fleetwood finished T5, and is rounding into form, but could have cashed a big pa out had some of his putts down the stretch fallen.

Top 5

Rory McIlroy (+125) - MISS

As I stated above, McIlroy looked rusty throughout the tournament, and it was his 74 on Saturday in Round 3 which ultimately did him in.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+300) - MISS

Fitzpatrick’s T52 finish might have been almost as surprising as Kristoffer Reitan’s victory. Fitzpatrick entered the tournament as one of the hottest golfers on tour, and his 74/70/69/72 tournament had him well out of the Top 5 prediction range.

Top 10

Ludvig Aberg (+160) - HIT

Aberg has proven his disastrous final round of the Players Championship is in the past. He has improved his play every event since, and he had just one round not in the 60s to put him with a T8 finish, having this bet hit for the event.

Sam Burns (+245) - MISS

I went with my gut and thought Burns would put together a great tournament and finish near the Top 10. His T37 finish showed Burns finish at the Masters might have put a dent in his game moving forward.

Top 20

Justin Thomas (+130) - HIT

The Kentucky born Thomas seems to always play well in the south, and his 13th place finish showed he is still a capable player on tour. I often have to remind myself Thomas started the season recovering from surgery, and it has taken some time for him to get his game back to where it was. The Top 20 play for Thomas was a winner.

Ben Griffin (+126) - MISS

Like Matt Fitzpatrick, Griffin had been one of the tour’s hottest players, but Griffin struggled at Quail Hollow on his way to a T63 finish. Consistency is the name of the game on the PGA Tour, and Griffin is struggling in this regard.

Bonus Plays

For bonus plays, these are picks which I don’t necessarily hang my hat on, but still provide value for some who want more exotic plays outside of the aforementioned picks. Sometimes bonus plays are parlays, double chances, triple chances, and even some fun plays for that particular event.

Here were the Bonus plays for the 2026 Truist Championship:

Double Chance: Rory McIlroy or Xander Schauffele (+345) - MISS

McIlroy didn’t hold up his end of the bargain, but neither did Schauffele, who finished T60. Schauffele has yet to regain his 2024 form after an injury-plagued 2025 season.

Triple Chance: Rory McIlroy or Xander Schauffele or Ludvig Aberg (+260) - MISS

Throw in Aberg with a Top 10 finish and it didn’t help this triple play cash.

Top 20 Parlay: Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Aberg (+240) - MISS

McIlroy and Aberg did their jobs finishing inside the Top 20, but it was Fitzpatrick and his T52 finish which ruined this play.

Margin of Victory: 2 shots (+355) - HIT

After Alex Fitzpatrick double bogeyed 17, it gave Reitan a two-shot lead. Reitan almost drained a birdie putt on 18, which would have killed this bet. However, the putt ended just near the cup in tap-in range. When he sank the par putt it gave him a two shot victory, and had us cash the margin of victory play.