PGA Tour pro forced out of Sony Open at last minute: "Could LIV Golf be calling?!"
PGA Tour pro Michael Thorbjornsen was forced to WD from the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.
PGA Tour pro Michael Thorbjornsen was forced to withdraw from the Sony Open at Waialae CC in Hawaii on Thursday.
The PGA Tour communications team confirmed the update two hours before Thorbjornsen was due to tee off in the first round.
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Thorbjornsen, 23, was replaced in the Sony Open field by Lanto Griffin.
Griffin will join Rikuya Hoshino and Jackson Suber for the opening two rounds.
Hoshino is competing in his first event of his debut PGA Tour season having earned his card via the DP World Tour Rankings in 2024.
No official reason for Thorbjornsen's withdrawal was initially mentioned by the PGA Tour communications team.
That in itself led a number of excited golf fans to assume he was potentially considering a move away from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.
Of course such rumours are completely unsubstantiated, but welcome to golf social media in 2025.
The LIV Golf transfer window also happens to still be open ahead of their new season starting up in Saudi Arabia next month.
LIV Golf has also made it clear in recent times they are eager to acquire some of the stars of tomorrow to their breakaway league.
"Could LIV Golf be calling I wonder?" one PGA Tour fan commented on social media.
Another wrote: "To LIV confirmed."
Thorbjornsen has struggled in recent times with a left knee injury, so perhaps that has flared up again and caused him to WD.
The current World No.174 was forced to withdraw from the Black Desert Championship in October as a result of his knee injury.
Golf Injury Report PGA on X / Twitter has also not yet been made aware as to whether Thorbjornsen had to withdraw due to injury at the Sony Open.
GolfMagic will have more details of Thorbjornsen's WD as soon as it emerges via the PGA Tour.
Michael Thorbjornsen WD prior to the start of the Sony Open in Hawaii; Lanto Griffin in.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) January 9, 2025
Thorbjornsen won the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur.
He then finished top of the PGA Tour University Rankings for 2024, which earned him a PGA Tour card for the remainder of 2024 and all of the 2025 season.
The American turned pro in June 2024.
He enjoyed his best finish on the PGA Tour with an impressive T2 at the John Deere Classic last season.
Thorbjornsen has notched back-to-back T8 finishes in the last two PGA Tour events that he has completed 72 holes.
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