In his 15th PGA Tour appearance, Kristoffer Reitan has already won a $20 million signature event: the 2026 Truist Championship. The victory shouldn’t come as a surprise, given his recent wins at the Soudal Open and the Nedbank Golf Challenge last year on the DP World Tour. However, only the World No. 48 knows the story behind this victory.

When asked if he gets recognized by the golf community, Reitan told the media on Sunday, “I came from the DP World Tour, where people were starting to recognize me as a good player. And then I came over here, and I had to start from scratch. I had that feeling that no one had any idea who I was. So I had to earn it, and I hope this is a way of doing that. It’s been cool the last few weeks to suddenly see people in the crowd shouting my name.”

Reitan’s two DP World Tour wins in Europe earned him stardom and membership on the 2026 PGA Tour. But when he came to North Carolina, most didn’t recognize him, as they didn’t know about his earlier success. You see, Reitan was not as well-advertised as Viktor Hovland or Ludvig Aberg. His amazing start to his first season helped him build his popularity.

Reitan had a hot streak over the last few weeks. Although he and Kris Ventura ended runner-up in the 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, nearly toppling over the Fitzpatricks at TPC Louisiana, their performance grabbed attention. The 28-year-old had also finished T10 in the Valero Texas Open a few weeks prior. And even then, he had some fans following him around. But nothing tops beating Rickie Fowler at Quail Hollow.

“If I play well enough, then, yeah, the galleries and, yeah, they will know who I am if I play well enough. So, yeah, I bet today was a step on that way to accomplish that. Not necessarily looking to accomplish that, that must be said, but, yeah, it is cool to kind of get into the PGA TOUR environment or that group a little bit and feel like you belong,” Reitan added.

Reitan looks forward to achieving bigger goals on the PGA Tour. Just three days ago, he confessed, “I’m starting to feel I belong out here,” during a press conference. Now that he has claimed the big paycheck from the prize money, he will surely feel at home in the Tour.

With the title in his trophy cabinet, what’s next for the Norwegian pro?

The next chapter in Kristoffer Reitan’s rise

Reitan’s huge win at Quail Hollow days before playing at Aronimink Golf Club has certainly built his momentum.

He had already qualified to compete for the Wanamaker Trophy when he and Kris Ventura finished runner-ups in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Reitan had previously appeared in all other majors, with the 2026 Masters Tournament being his last event. The 28-year-old finished at T41 at Augusta National on his debut. Hopefully, he will deliver a better result in his first PGA Championship than he did last month in the Green Jacket major.

With starts at the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship still ahead, Reitan has one aim: better opportunities to win many more big paychecks throughout the season.