ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Michael Thorbjornsen first arrived at Stanford with Patrick Rodgers as just a legendary name on the walls to chase.
Rodgers stands among the elite amateur golfers of the past two decades. He collected 11 wins in three years with the Cardinal, matching Tiger Woods and Maverick McNealy’s records, while sweeping major amateur awards in 2014 and climbing to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Thorbjornsen, now 24 and nine years younger than Rodgers, carved his own impressive path at Stanford. He reached world No. 1 status himself, though with three college wins compared to Rodgers’ 11. Both played Walker Cup-caliber golf, though Thorbjornsen missed his opportunity due to a serious back injury that sidelined him for half of 2023. But Thorbjornsen has achievements Rodgers can’t claim – the 2018 U.S. Junior title and the 2021 Western Amateur crown.
A couple years into school, Thorbjornsen connected with Rodgers, who’s since become a mentor. Through calls, lunches and practice rounds, Rodgers has offered valuable guidance.
“It’s nice to have someone that kind of went through the same thing as myself, just a little older,” said Thorbjornsen, who played alongside Rodgers for the first time Saturday at Sea Island. The Stanford duo posted matching 68s to reach 17 under, where they’re T-2, two shots behind leader Sami Valimaki.
There’s one Rodgers distinction Thorbjornsen hopes not to inherit. Prior to this week’s RSM Classic, Rodgers has logged 311 career PGA Tour starts without a win – the most among active players by 50 starts.
Rodgers, a 33-year-old husband and father of two, is well aware of the stat. One of his two playoff losses came right here at the RSM in 2018, when Charles Howell III defeated him on the second extra hole.
“At the time, I felt like it had been a really long time on Tour and a really long time that I hadn’t won,” Rodgers recalled of what was his 117th career start.
“I felt very ready for my opportunity there. It’s just unfortunately in this game, you can’t control the outcomes. I really try hard to control the outcomes, but it doesn’t work. Yeah, I need to be the best version of myself that I can be, look to build a really quality golf game and trust that that’s going to give me the most opportunities throughout the season.”
Rodgers has been remarkably steady, never losing his PGA Tour card since earning special temporary membership right out of college in 2014 and then securing his card via the Korn Ferry Tour the following year. His iron play has improved – his No. 117 rank in strokes gained approach this season is his best in years. At No. 63 in the FedExCup, he doesn’t need to win this week to move into Next 10 territory and secure spots in the first two signature events of next season.
Winning Sunday at Sea Island, where McNealy broke through last year, would obviously lift a massive weight off Rodgers’ shoulders. But he’s matured past that kind of urgency.
“Everyone’s on their own journey,” Rodgers said. “For me, a lot of my sort of understanding at this point of my career has been through failure and through trial and error, kind of learned a lot of lessons the hard way. But I feel really at peace with who I am as a player. I don’t feel like my life as a PGA Tour player hinges on me winning tomorrow, and I think that’s a powerful place to play from.”
Rodgers shared that wisdom with Thorbjornsen during their four and a half hours together Saturday. Thorbjornsen was taking notes.
“He played great today,” Thorbjornsen said. “I mean, whether he wins or I win, it doesn’t really matter; we have more tournaments to play next year.”
