Rory McIlroy's claim about Michael Thorbjornsen proven correct as he wins on the PGA Tour for the first time

Rory McIlroy has been vindicated for naming Michael Thorbjornsen as one of the PGA Tour youngsters who is ready for the highest level at last year’s Scottish Open.

Thorbjornsen is now a PGA Tour winner following his victory at the Rocket Classic on Sunday. The 24-year-old produced a sublime performance on the back nine at Detroit Golf Club to finish two shots ahead of Xander Schauffele.

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Despite his age, it is certainly fair to say that Thorbjornsen’s victory has felt like a long time coming.

What Rory McIlroy previously said about Michael Thorbjornsen’s potential

The youngster has previously finished second twice, while he also has two third place finishes on the PGA Tour under his belt. But getting across the line was proving to be tricky for the starlet.

One person who seemingly never doubted that Thorbjornsen was going to win at some stage was Rory McIlroy.

Speaking at the Scottish Open in 2025, McIlroy spoke about the challenges of remaining at the top of the sport for a long time, while Thorbjornsen was named as one of the players with a very bright future in the game.

“Yeah, I think it’s one of the underappreciated things about any sport. You look at what Djokovic is doing at Wimbledon over the last couple weeks or what some of those guys have done or what someone like a Cristiano Ronaldo is still doing at 40 years old, or Tom Brady in American football; that longevity piece is something that maybe isn’t talked about enough,” he said.

“Because once you get to a certain level, I feel like the journey on the way up is almost, I’m not going to say it’s easy but you have the momentum and you’re riding that wave to the top.

“And then once you get there, yeah, it takes just as much work, if not more work, to stay there. Because I think about my career before I won this major this year, the last major I won in 2014, I had never heard of Scottie Scheffler.

“So these talents and these players just keep coming and keep getting better each and every generation, and I think you have to adapt your game to make sure that you’re able to hang with these generations, and I feel like I’m one generation ahead of Scottie, for example, who is still in his 20s.

“You see all these younger kids that are coming up, the likes of a Michael Thorbjornsen or Luke Clanton or these guys that basically are ready to play at the top level coming out of college, and you have to make sure you’re staying on top of what makes you such a great player.”

How Rory McIlroy reacted to Michael Thorbjornsen’s TGL debut

McIlroy has had the opportunity to get a closer look at Thorbjornsen this year, with the American added to his Boston Common team ahead of the most recent season of TGL.

Thorbjornsen proved to be a revelation in the SoFi Center, with McIlroy suggesting that he was the main reason for their victory over LA in the first game of the season.

“Yeah, obviously it’s been a long time coming for Keegan and I to get a win. Not so long for Michael; he seems like a natural out there,” he said.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was a great match, a lot of back and forth, a lot of quality shots, a lot of birdies and eagles and hammers thrown and bullets dodged. Yeah, it was back and forth.

“It was certainly fun to play, so hopefully it was fun for everyone watching, too. This guy to my left was a stud tonight, and he was the star of the show.”

The praise kept coming after the 9-1 victory over The Bay in their next match.

“Yeah, it was fun. We came out of the blocks early. Yeah, we started well. Michael has been an amazing addition to the team, has sort of taken to this style of golf really, really easily, much easier than Keegan and I did last year,” he said.

“But I think with a little more experience from us, we’re getting more comfortable in here, too, and it’s showed over the first two matches.”

Obviously, TGL is a completely different game to a PGA Tour event. But it does come with its own pressure, particularly when co-founder Rory McIlroy is one of your teammates.

Thorbjornsen securing his first win on tour has the potential to be a defining moment in his career.

McIlroy’s past comments highlight how excited many have been about his potential for a long time, but Thorbjornsen now knows for certain that he has all of the tools to win on the big stage.

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