Thomas Detry claimed his first win on the PGA Tour by taking the Phoenix Open in real style last week. The Belgian opened with a 66 and then proceeded to shoot three rounds even lower than that to saunter to the biggest win of his career. The man from Uccle (that’s Uccle, near Brussels, rather than U.N.C.L.E. – ask your parents!) broke not just his own duck on the game’s biggest tour, but also that of his whole nation, becoming the first Belgian to claim a PGA win. That’s one to file away should you ever enter a very niche quiz on either famous Belgians or indeed golf.
Detry made it look easy as he romped to victory by seven shots, shooting 66-65-65-65 for a total of 260. That 24-under-par aggregate was more than enough to fend off American duo Michael Kim and Daniel Berger, who both finished on 17 under after closing with rounds of 67.
The day and the tournament belonged to Detry, who turned 32 last month. He picked up a massive $1,656,000 for his four day’s work, easily the biggest payday of his career. His form has been good for a sustained period now and he finished tied-fourth at the US PGA Championship last year to jump from 71st in the world rankings to just outside the top 50.
A top 15 finish at the US Open later in the year moved him inside the world’s 50 best but despite tying for fifth at The Sentry and finishing 15th at the Farmers, he came into this event in 58th position. This win, achieved up against a very decent field that included world number one Scottie Scheffler, amongst others, has seen him surge up to 22nd in the official world rankings.
That is easily the highest he has been and given how he has played over the past eight months, he will feel he can sustain that position. He can be a little bit of a streaky player, certainly within tournaments. His first career win, on the Challenge Tour, saw him set a new record for the margin of victory and tie the best in terms of score to par. As this win at the Phoenix has backed up, when he has a good week, he has a really good week.
The challenge for him now is to really maintain that form but as said, there are already signs he is doing that and, moreover, at 32 years of age, he is probably entering the peak years of his career. He will, of course, want to win more tournaments and be involved at the weekend in all four majors. He is yet to play at the Masters but that will change this year.
Phoenix Win Gives Detry Great Chance of Making Ryder Cup
However, another obvious target for him is to join compatriots Nicolas Colsaerts (who played in 2012), and Thomas Pieters (2016), in making the Ryder Cup team. The countdown is very much on for that event, which takes place between the 26 and 28th of September at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.
He would become just the third Belgian to appear in the prestigious, high-profile team contest, if he can make Luke Donald’s team. Europe will be bidding to defend the crown they won in such convincing style in Rome and Detry will have heard all about the famous atmosphere.
His victory in America moves him up to fifth place in the 2025 European Ryder Cup Rankings. There is a long way to go but if he can maintain anything like this sort of form he will surely be among Donald’s 12. Things will not be decided until late August, after the British Masters, with the top six in the standings assured of a place on the plane to America.
Detry has proved himself a decent player in team events too, having won the World Cup alongside Thomas Pieters for Belgium. He was also part of the Continental Europe side that beat Great Britain and Ireland in the 2023 Hero Cup. As an amateur, he also played in the 2010 Junior Ryder Cup, and so we can be sure that he will be doing everything he can between now and August to make Donald’s dozen.
Career Summary
Victory in Phoenix was the third pro win of his career, though the first in a top-tier, solo tour event. We have already mentioned the other two, his Challenge Tour win (in the 2016 Bridgestone Challenge, by a massive 12 shots), and at the 2018 World Cup, a pairs event.
Thomas Detry’s Professional Wins
| Date | Tournament | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 6th to 9th Feb 2025 | WM Phoenix Open | $1,656,000 |
| 22nd to 25th Nov 2018 | World Cup of Golf | $2,240,000 (shared) |
| 25th to 28th Aug 2016 | Bridgestone Challenge | €28,800 |
He has gone close before though, and after getting over the line he said:
“I’ve given myself plenty of chances in the past but never been able to conclude. I’m just so happy.”
He lost a three-way play-off at the 2021 Scottish Open but his career has really taken big steps forward over the past couple of years.
He only played two majors in 2023 and two in 2024 but secured top-14 finishes in three of those. But really his career has been a slow burn since turning pro in 2016, somewhat surprisingly given he was such a highly regarded amateur. He won the Dutch Junior Open (under 21) aged just 16. He played for Belgium in the Eisenhower Trophy at 17, going on to make three more appearances in the competition.
He played college golf in the US, studying at the University of Illinois, and went on to be named the Freshman of the Year in 2013 and then Golfer of the Year in 2015. By 2016 he was rated the fifth-best amateur in the world and a bright career on tour beckoned.
He made 10 successive cuts on the Challenge Tour, including his record win but couldn’t quite make that step up to the next level. It was not until 2020 that he was able to break into the top 100 in the world rankings, helped by two second-place finishes on the European Tour (as it was then called).
He then spent a few years with his ranking hovering between 75th and just inside the top 100, never quite being able to take the next step. However, he is undoubtedly playing the best golf of his life right now and has progressed nicely in the last six months. If he can continue like this, he will be a valuable asset at the Ryder Cup, and will surely add more titles to his tally.