News zur Tour

Michael Thorbjornsen started the final round of the Rocket Classic three shots back of the lead. But a sizzling comeback in the final round included just 63 shots and proved enough to come out on top and claim his first victory on the PGA TOUR.

For the week, the former Stanford star, Drive, Chip, and Putt champion, and 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion carded rounds of 69-64-66-63. His bogey-free final round included seven birdies, and a back nine of 30.

For the week, Thor led the field in Strokes Gained: Total (+14.803), and was fourth in SG: Off the Tee (+5.255).

Suffice it to say, no one is surprised by this win. It was only going to be a matter of time. . .

Speaking of Thor's game, TaylorMade Senior Tour Manager, Adrian Rietveld had the following to say.

"He turned up on the scene as an extremely powerful golfer who didn't need to be more than one-dimensional because of how talented he is."
Adrian Rietveld, Senior Tour Manager

Finding Fast with Qi4D LS

Amongst his peers, Thor is known as an elite ball striker, and that starts from the tee. For the week in Detroit he ranked 4th in SG: Off the Tee (+5.206) and averaged 318.30 yards. That's saying a lot considering Detroit Golf Club's narrow, tree-lined fairways. For the season, he ranks 14th in total driving and 28th in distance (313.0 yards). Thor chooses Qi4D LS for it's low-spin penetrating ball flight.

"He hits a draw, and I think that tautness of the spin tolerance that we're getting out of the face now gives him the confidence to turn it over where the ball's not going to drop. When you get into that 2,000 and less (RPM), that can cause what I think is a big miss."
Adrian Rietveld on Thor's Qi4D LS
Thor Qi4 D LS Driver Crown
Thor's Driver Spec
  • HEAD: Qi4D LS
  • LOFT: 9.0° one click higher
  • WEIGHTS: 3g forward, 8g back
  • LIE: 58.5°
  • SHAFT: Ventus Black + 7X
  • LENGTH: 45.25"
  • TIPPING: 1"
  • GRIP: Golf Pride MCC Black 58 R
Thor's Qi4D LS driver sole
Thor's Qi4D LS driver sole
Thor's Qi4D LS driver face with fitting markers
Thor's Qi4D LS driver face with fitting markers

The Switch to TP5

For as long as he's been on staff with TaylorMade, Thor has played a TP5x golf ball. However, following in Rory McIlroy's footsteps, Thor made the switch to TP5 to prioritize control. While the explosive distance of TP5x certainly was an asset, what he gained in control with TP5, without sacrificing distance was a game changer. He's now able to better control trajectory, shape and distance with short irons and wedges which was on full display this week in Detroit as he led the field in Greens in Regulation (63/72, 87.50%).

Thor's TP5
Thor's TP5
"The main reason for that (the ball) is to start to learn how to hit these off-speed shots. I thought that's actually a better golf ball for him through the bag. And he should be able to incorporate more of these off-speed shots and should be able to incorporate a wedge game that's required for a top-10 player in the world. . . The wind didn't move it as much, and even five yards of difference there is huge."
Adrian Rietveld on Thor's switch to TP5

R7 Mini Proves Retro Works on Tour

I have a R7 Quad Mini 13.5° in the bag, and so does Thor. At least we have that in common. Except Thor hits his 300 yards.

For him, it's been a game changer when it comes to accuracy off the tee. For the year, he's hit north of 60% of his fairways, which might not sound like a lot, but is well above average when you're playing courses with tight fairways and both distance and accuracy are rewarded off the tee.

"Being a 180-plus ball speed guy, the mini driver is kind of a safety for that. When he doesn't feel comfortable with driver, it becomes almost like a 300-yard club to get him in play."
Adrian Rietveld on Thor's R7 Quad Mini
Thor R7 Quad Mini Back Weights
Thor's R7 Quad Mini Spec
  • HEAD: R7 Quad Mini Driver
  • LOFT: 13.0°
  • WEIGHTS: 5g front toe, 7g front heel, 10g in both back weights
  • LIE: 57°
  • SHAFT: Ventus TR Blue 8X
  • TIPPING: 2"
  • GRIP: Golf Pride MCC Black 58 R
Thor's R7 Quad Mini Sole
Thor's R7 Quad Mini Sole

Spider Can't Stop Winning

Drive for show. Thor does that better than anyone and everyone I've ever seen. He employs a Spider Tour X double-bend. And his setup is both intentional and purposeful as Adrian insights yet again.

"You can see how structured his practice is now, the drills, the process. He's gone from a talented putter to someone that's an ardent student of that part of the game."
Adrian Rietveld on Thor's Spider Tour X and putting evolution
T Hors Spider T Our Sole
Thor's Spider Tour Spec
  • HEAD: Spider Tour X Black
  • HOSEL: Double Bend
  • SIGHT LINE: True Path Mid Line
  • LOFT: 2.0°
  • LIE: 71°
  • LENGTH: 35.5"
  • TOTAL WEIGHT: 534g
  • SWINGWEIGHT: E5
  • GRIP: TaylorMade with white cap under grip
Thor's Spider Tour from down the line
Thor's Spider Tour from down the line
Thors Spier T Our Putter Address View

Ball Striking Thor

At the top of this article, we talked about Thor's superior ball striking and how it starts from the tee. And it most certainly does. But his iron play is second to none as well. For the week, he gained +3.668 Approach to Green with his P·Series irons. He ranked first in Greens in Regulation for the week (63/72, 87.50%).

Like a lot of players, Thor employs a combination of P·Series irons that are all tailored for what he wants from specific parts of his bag.

Thor's P·770 3-iron
Thor's P·770 3-iron
Thors P·7 MC 4-iron
Thors P·7 MC 4-iron
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