We are going to allow ourselves to use a cliché once more. The young Michael Brennan compels us to do so. What he has done in the last two months is out of the ordinary. Yes, a star is born. At least, we can all agree that it certainly looks that way. Later, we will see where life takes him. But winning on the PGA Tour with an invitation, in just his third appearance and after winning three tournaments in just over a month on the PGA Tour Americas, is something very special.
Brennan, at just 23 years old, won the Bank of Utah Championship on the PGA Tour this Sunday. He did it convincingly, with a four-shot lead and finishing on the 18th, a par 5, with a bogey. He didn’t need more. Overwhelming. He follows in the footsteps of Nick Dunlap, the last golfer to win on the American circuit playing with an invitation.
However, beyond this absolutely undeniable victory, what impresses most about Brennan is that it comes as a result of a trajectory. It would be too bold to say it was expected, but certainly, it’s not surprising if one has followed his recent career even minimally.
Brennan, a great hitter who this week hit some drives over 400 yards, graduated from Wake Forest in June 2024 after becoming the third player with the most victories in the history of this university, one of the most powerful in the United States in terms of its golf programme. He amassed eight, the same as Curtis Strange, one of its most illustrious alumni. He finished in 12th place in the PGA Tour University, which opened the doors for him that same summer to the PGA Tour Americas, the third division in the United States. He played ten tournaments in twelve weeks with five top 10s and three top 5s. There was potential. He comfortably renewed his playing rights for the 2025 circuit.
This year, he was already warning with another handful of top 10s until his definitive explosion occurred in August. He won his first PGA Tour Americas tournament on the 10th of that month, specifically the Biosteel Championship. From here, he took off. Unstoppable. He won again 20 days later at the CRMC Championship and added a third victory on 14 September at the ATB Classic. Three wins in four tournaments in the short span of 35 days.
That third victory automatically grants him the Korn Ferry Tour card, although his caddie, Jeff Kirkpatrick, as a premonition, told him: “We are not going to step on the Korn Ferry Tour, we are going straight to the PGA Tour”. Brennan confessed this Sunday to being almost in shock: “I don’t know if he meant getting the card through the school or winning a tournament, in any case, it amazes me to see that he was right. No one has more faith in my abilities than him, perhaps only my parents,” he reveals.
Precisely, his father, present in Utah to see his son win live, revealed an anecdote that helps to understand the passion Brennan feels for this sport. “When he was little, we had a deal with him. If he did things well, we rewarded him with some golf prizes. One day we gave him a new 7-iron. I don’t know how many days he spent sleeping with it in bed.” Now he is already in the top 50 worldwide.
This year he has played 17 tournaments on the PGA Tour Americas and, in addition to the three victories, he has amassed 12 top 10s. He has a beastly competitive capacity. His mother explained it this way: “Whatever he played when he was little, he wasn’t happy unless he won.” Does that sound familiar? Yes, this behaviour is often associated with great champions. It’s not essential, but it is common.
Michael Brennan, a native of Virginia, won with a four-shot lead over Rico Hoey, who has three consecutive top 10s since he started using the broomstick putter, and six over David Ford, another rising star, Thorbjorn Olesen, who takes a giant step to maintain his card, Ben Silverman, Justin Lower, Pierceson Coody, and Matt McCarty, the defending champion. We must also highlight the two top 10s of Brandt Snedeker and Max Homa. It’s the third of 2025 for Snedeker and the second for Homa.
