PGA Championship Update: Kristofer Reitan Shines

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — During the third round of the PGA Championship on Saturday, Norway’s Kristofer Reitan, who recently won the Twist Championship, made headlines by switching his putter mid-tournament. This bold choice paid off, as he shot a remarkable 5-under 65.

Starting the day at 2 under and just four strokes away from the leader, Alex Smalley, Reitan opted to use the same putter that brought him victory at Quail Hollow.

“I’ve had that putter for about two-and-a-half years, but since last week, I switched it out, and it’s been working really well for me,” he explained. “I don’t know, it’s just the feel. I guess it was easy to decide on a change [today]. I’m really happy with it.”

In another interesting exchange, Stefan Jaeger, who is at even par, shared a light moment with Martin Kaymer. He humorously noted that he wouldn’t necessarily qualify as one of his fellow Germans, given his long residency in the U.S.

“You can check my passport,” Jaeger joked. “It’s true—I’ve been in America longer than I was in Germany! It’s been 20 years since I left Germany at 17.” He added, “I still consider myself to have a lot of German in me, but, well, there’s plenty of Tennessee too.”

In the midst of all this, Ben Khan was the only club professional making his mark, shooting a solid 67 on Friday. Interestingly, since 2000, only three club pros have managed rounds of 67 or better at the PGA Championship, and Khan has now made it into two of those rounds.

Khan had previously shot a 67 in the third round of the 2018 PGA Championship but struggled on Saturday, finishing with a 7-over 77.

Taking note of the bigger picture in golf, Bryson DeChambeau, a well-known figure in the sport, found himself missing out on a spot again, making it two majors in a row. This marks the first time since 2017 that he hasn’t qualified consecutively. He also did not qualify for last month’s Masters, with his next goal being the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, where he has previously triumphed twice.

On the financial side, the PGA Championship announced it would feature a total prize purse of $20.5 million this year, the first time it has exceeded the $20 million threshold. This total represents a $1.5 million increase from the previous year, marking the PGA’s largest growth since 2023. Currently, the PGA ranks third among the majors, behind the Masters ($22.5 million) and the U.S. Open ($21.5 million), but ahead of the British Open ($17 million).