Up until Thursday, Michael Thorbjornsen didn’t know whether he would get a spot in the upcoming Open Championship. But he did what he could after teeing off at The Renaissance Club. He finished tied for seventh place at 12-under par. In the immediate aftermath, The Open revealed on X that the 24-year-old had qualified for the 154th Open Championship. Speaking about his unexpected entry during the presser, Thorbjornsen shared his thoughts.

“[I am] extremely excited. Since I wasn’t in prior to this week, I mean, we had no plans, no accommodations set up or anything,” he told reporters. “So it’s going to be a little bit of a mess the next 24 hours, but these are all good problems.”

Since Thorbjornsen didn’t have an exemption, the Scottish Open was his final chance to qualify for the final men’s major. The top three from the event, who weren’t already exempt, would have received spots in The Open. As a consequence, Thorbjornsen secured the opportunity to make his debut in the tournament. Thorbjornsen himself learned on Wednesday that he had a chance to claim one of the final spots. 

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“I guess Wednesday, I found out there were three or four spots,” he added. “I knew there were some available, but I didn’t really let that kind of sit with me throughout the week.”

Even though he didn’t let that possibility distract him, his performance at the Scottish Open wasn’t the best. He opened on Thursday with six birdies and two bogeys to finish 4-under 66. Thorbjornsen’s second round saw a dip, with five birdies, one bogey, and a double bogey, ending 2-under 68. The third round was devoid of any mistakes. 

He shot 5-under 65 with five birdies. But the final round saw perhaps his worst performance. He scored three bogeys and four birdies to finish with 1-under 69. Despite that, though, Thorbjornsen claims he is carrying lessons into next week’s major.

Michael Thorbjornsen reflects on his Open Championship debut

With the Scottish Open done and dusted, the Open Championship will begin on Thursday, July 16, at Royal Birkdale with a 156-player field. Besides Thorbjornsen, Johnny Keefer and Victor Perez also secured the final spots in the Open Championship. 

As this is the final major of the season, everyone is expected to be at their best to secure the victory. When Thorbjornsen was asked what lessons he was taking from the Scottish Open to next week to perform better, he shared his candid view on the matter. 

“Anything can happen,” Thorbjornsen said. “The golf over here is so much fun. You don’t need to hit driver everywhere. You can hit something super low. You can be very creative with your game, and I think that frees me up a little bit. It doesn’t have to be so straightforward. I love chipping around the greens here. 

“It’s a lot of fun using the contours and everything, but yeah, I mean, we’ll check out the course. I’ve obviously never been there, but I remember watching a few years ago and [I am] very excited,” he added.

Scottie Scheffler won last year’s Open Championship, so he is returning to defend his title. Interestingly, he failed to make the cut at the Scottish Open, which appears to give Thorbjornsen momentum that Scheffler lacked this week. But only time will tell how the 24-year-old will perform.