LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Thomas Detry’s 12-footer for birdie on the par-5 18th on Sunday at the PGA Championship did more than assure the 31-year-old of his best finish in a major.
It also carried him all the way to Augusta National.
Detry’s closing 5-under 66 — capped by that testy birdie — left him at 15 under for the tournament and a tie for fourth with Collin Morikawa. It also guaranteed him an invitation to the Masters for the first time next spring.
The world’s 55th-ranked player came to Valhalla with a spotty record on golf’s biggest stage. He arrived at Valhalla having made the cut just four times in seven previous attempts, his best result a 13th in the British Open at Royal Liverpool last summer.
Four steady days in Kentucky changed all that.
Dean Burmester, a LIV Tour regular, shot a 1-under 70 to finish tied for 12th at 12 under, a finish that means Burmester will be in North Carolina next May when the PGA moves to Quail Hollow.