The back nine at TPC Scottsdale is known for producing some of the most compelling drama on the PGA Tour, often in the form of playoffs that spill into the pre-Super Bowl festivities.
Leave it to Thomas Detry to end things early this year.
Detry built a five-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round of the WM Phoenix Open and then kept the field at arm’s length, stiff-arming every challenge, from Jordan Spieth to Daniel Berger, for his first career PGA Tour victory.
Detry’s dagger came, of all places, the stadium 16th hole, where he dropped a dime from 180 yards to 16 inches at the world-famous par-3. When Detry rolled in the birdie, his fifth of the day, he pushed to 22 under and again five clear of his closest pursuers.
In football terms, Detry then ran up the score.
For added measure, he birdied Nos. 17 and 18 (to add to his other birdie at the 15th) to shoot 65 and finish at 24 under, seven clear of Michael Kim (67) and Berger (67). Spieth (68) tied for fourth at 16 under.
The 32-year-old Belgian, who was a standout at the University of Illinois, joined the PGA Tour full-time a couple seasons ago, and since then had posted a pair of runner-up finishes and some recent flashes in major championships, T-2 at last year’s PGA Championship and then a T-14 at the U.S. Open after contending into the weekend at Pinehurst.
The main knock really on Detry was that he’d only won once as a pro, the 2016 Bridgestone Challenge, a Challenger Tour event. He won that one by 12 shots, breaking Brooks Koepka’s previous record for margin of victory by two strokes.
Blending elite putting and reliable driving, Detry showed what can happen when he’s flagging his irons. He led the field in strokes gained: approach this week at TPC Scottsdale.
And playing alongside another hopeful Ryder Cup rookie in Rasmus Hojgaard, Detry surely caught the eye of European captain Luke Donald.
Detry certainly has proven he can handle rowdy crowds.
