Wellesley's Michael Thorbjornsen Shows He Belongs At U.S. Open

WELLESLEY, MA — Michael Thorbjornsen, a 17-year-old from Wellesley, made his professional golf debut, Thursday at the U.S. Open and showed he belonged. The reigning U.S. Junior Amateur finished his first two rounds 2-above-par, which was just enough to get Thorbjornsen past the cut to the weekend rounds, where golf's greats like Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland competed.

Making it past the cut didn't come without adversity. The second round started strong for Thorbjornsen. Through three holes, he was 1-under-par, birdying on on the first hole, and through most of the day, looked well within the cut line. However, he bogeyed on the 15th and 16th holes, which put qualifying in jeopardy. Thorborsen parred on the 17th hole, which helped cement his spot.

"I’m just proud of myself for that, getting back and just not giving up," Thorbjornsen told Golfweek.

Thorbjornsen hit the tee again over the weekend. Although he struggled at times, finishing with an 84 (13-above-par) and a 76 (5-above-par) in round 4, the Wellesley teen had some bright spots, shooting four birdies during the last two days of his U.S. Open debut.

In the first two rounds of the tournament, Thorbjornsen shot an even-par 71 in the first round and and 2-above-par with a score a 73 in the second. Thorbjornsen had seven birdies throughout the tournament. He may have finished 20-above-par, but he was one of only four amateurs to make it past Thursday and Friday's qualifiers.