Reactions to Illinois Golf Alum Thomas Detry Winning the Phoenix Open

Detry won his first PGA Tour event going away – by seven strokes – with a 66-64-65-65 scorecard

Feb 9, 2025; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Thomas Detry of Belgium holds up his trophy at the 18th hole during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Thomas Detry was a name that was already well-known on the tracks around Brussels, Belgium, and Champaign, Illinois, before the 32-year-old made a much bigger name for himself in Phoenix over the weekend.

And now he's known around the world.

Detry – a former University of Illinois golfer, the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the 2015 Big Ten Golfer of the Year – on Sunday won the WM Phoenix Open, his first tournament win on the PGA Tour. And he left zero doubt about the outcome, firing a 6-under 65 on Sunday to finish the tournament 24-under, seven strokes ahead of second-place finishers Michael Kim and Daniel Berger.

Winner by SEVEN 🏆@TomDetry dominates @WMPhoenixOpen for his first career title. pic.twitter.com/4zoMDdTz9B

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 9, 2025

The win represented a massive breakthrough for Detry, especially amid the cacophony of the Phoenix – basically the Talladega Superspeedway of the PGA Tour. Previously, his best finish of note had been squeezing into a playoff at the Scottish Open in 2021.

At Phoenix, Detry's back-to-back weekend rounds of 65 sealed the deal, earning him $1.656 million in prize money, 500 FedEx Cup points and, crucially, PGA Tour exemptions and automatic bids to all four PGA Tour majors over the next year.

"Everything goes so quickly that you don't really have time to enjoy it," Detry said afterward. "Luckily, my caddie was there to tell me to enjoy the moment.

"I've given myself plenty of chances in the past and never been able to conclude, and being able to put a statement out like that was pretty incredible, so I'm just over the moon, so happy."

He wasn't the only one. Everyone from his former college coach and teammates to his playing partner and other PGA Tour rivals to pundits and fans – they on social media, they all had only praise and excitement for Detry:

What a day!! Watched one of my all-time favorite Illini golfers ⁦@tomdetry⁩ become a ⁦@PGATOUR⁩ champion while at the same time playing golf in Hawaii with my current ⁦@IlliniMGolf⁩ team. Doesn't get much better than that. #proudcoach #luckyman pic.twitter.com/JEYi5ufNIM

— Mike Small (@MikeSmall4) February 10, 2025

I had the best teammates at @IlliniMGolf Congrats to my man @tomdetry !! Guy is a machine! Couldn’t believe the amount of ILL chants this week! https://t.co/4z0hgxzoRB

— Nick Hardy (@NickHardy8) February 9, 2025

Magic week @WMPhoenixOpen, played some really solid golf overall.
The fans…can’t thank you enough for getting involved on 16 with the @ObanCelticSc tops. Sorry I didn’t bring any birdies for you.

Lastly massive congrats to my partner @tomdetry, impressive all week 👏🏆 pic.twitter.com/MigHzdVgZT

— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) February 10, 2025

Was just a matter of time… Congratulations @tomdetry 🏆 https://t.co/zRjyyiE6hv

— Justin ROSE (@JustinRose99) February 9, 2025

The finish from @tomdetry yesterday at @WMPhoenixOpen was fantastic. @BrendanPorath joined us to talk about the performance.@GolfChannel | @Garywilliams1Up | @fried_egg_golf | @golfpridegrips

Watch Full Show & Subscribe: 👇https://t.co/7YBQ4VYyFy pic.twitter.com/H7qtfXw8hC

— 5 Clubs (@5ClubsGolf) February 10, 2025

Detry’s first PGA win at the Phoenix Open, what a day, ILL @tomdetry @IlliniAthletics @IlliniMGolf pic.twitter.com/4XkGi4sy2c

— Bri Beckler (@BriBeckler) February 10, 2025

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