Thomas Detry gets his first PGA Tour victory, a 7-shot romp at the Phoenix Open

Thomas Detry, of Belgium, hits out of a fairway bunker at the second hole during the final round of the Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Thomas Detry nearly aced the rowdy 16th hole in a stretch of four closing birdies, shooting a 6-under 65 on Sunday to win the Phoenix Open by seven shots for his first PGA Tour victory.

A year after soggy conditions led to multiple delays, perfect weather greeted players at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. The fans also were on their best behavior — as much as they can be at the PGA Tour’s wildest stop — following a mayhem-filled 2024 tournament.

Detry took advantage of the ideal conditions and navigated the rowdiness to enter the final round with a five-shot lead. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Daniel Berger all made charges, but Detry hit it to 16 inches on 16 to seal his first win in 68 PGA Tour starts.

Detry added two more birdies to finish at 24-under 260, becoming the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour.

Berger shot 67 and tied for second with Michael Kim (67) at 17 under. Spieth shot 68 to tie for fourth at 16 under in his second tournament since wrist surgery last summer.

Justin Thomas holed out from 103 yards for eagle on 18 to shoot 65, finishing tied for sixth at 15 under.

Detry had been waiting for this moment.

The 32-year-old won the European tour’s Bridgestone Challenge in 2016, twice represented Belgium at the Olympics and had two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour — most recently at the 2024 Houston Open.

All that was missing was a PGA Tour win.

Detry put himself in position with stellar ball-striking and putting in the desert. He entered the final round at 18 under and wasted no time adding to it, dropping a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 1. He couldn’t get up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the par-4 second, but bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 third.

Detry shot 1-under 34 on the front nine and still had a four-shot lead heading to the back. He reached 20 under with a birdie on the hardest hole on the course, the 470-yard, par-4 11th, and added a two-putt birdie on 15 before his near-ace on 16.

Several players put pressure on Detry as they climbed the leaderboard.

Berger made the latest charge.

He pulled within three shots with birdies on No. 12 and 13, then chipped in for par on 14 after barely getting his third shot out of a greenside bunker. He briefly cut into the lead with a birdie on the par-5 15th, but Detry poured in one on top of his to keep it at three.

Berger bogeyed No. 16 after bouncing his tee shot through the green, ending his comeback bid.

Spieth shot 33 on the front to get to 15 under, but had one birdie over his final 11 holes of his second start since offseason wrist surgery.

Scheffler shot 31 on the front nine to reach 14 under, only to fade. He shot a 5-over 41 on the back nine to finish with a 72, dropping all the way to 25th in his second start since he injured his hand on broken wineglass while making ravioli for Christmas.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

John Marshall, The Associated Press