One week after battling a serious illness, Michael Thorbjornsen feels back to normal at American Express.
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Michael Thorbjornsen found his PGA Tour season started a week later than expected due to a nagging illness.
The 23-year-old Stanford product, who earned his PGA Tour title by finishing No. 1 in the 2024 PGA Tour University standings, was originally in the field for last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. However, Thorbjornsen withdrew at the last minute.
“Yes, last week I had tonsillitis,” Thorbjornsen told reporters Thursday after shooting a 7-under-par 65 in the first round of the American Express. “The day I arrived it felt like it hit me, I lay in bed for three days straight. It was really bad. Yeah, obviously it’s kind of in the past now, I’ve got good reps, they came out here, I think, Saturday, so I had an extra day to practice, and I got things right on the show.
“I think Tuesday was the worst day,” Thorbjornsen said. “Those three days felt like one day, but we were thinking, OK, if I sleep really well, if I feel good enough, even if, I mean, it’s not completely healed, if I can just go out maybe one-, two less, I’ll feel even better the next day and have time of the last tee. Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep well, I woke up in the morning, and I didn’t feel better, so that’s when we decided to withdraw.”
Torbjornsen withdrew from the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club at 5:50 a.m. local time Thursday before the tournament began. Canada’s Nick Taylor went on to win the event by defeating Nico Echavarria in a playoff match.
The good news for Thorbjornsen is that the antibiotics “did the trick,” and he didn’t have to have his tonsils removed.
The Stanford product followed his first-round 65 at La Quinta Country Club with a 4-under-par 68 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course.
Torbjornsen is still looking for his first PGA Tour win. He has three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at last year’s John Deere classic.
Success feels like it’s just around the corner for Thorbjornsen. His body and swing are in a good spot, and his drops work together.
“My drops are no longer touching each other, it’s good,” said Thorbjornsen. “Yes, everything is fine, no complaints.”
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