By Camilla Tait Robb
Sitting fourth on the Race to Dubai and on the cusp of earning a PGA TOUR card, Kristoffer Reitan hasn’t just met the goals he set for himself this season—he’s blown past them.
What began as a quiet return to the DP World Tour has turned into a breakout campaign marked by consistency, resilience, and a win that changed everything.
That combination has led to his debut in this week’s finale, the DP World Tour Championship, with no doubt that his year has been up there with the best players across the season.
Yet it was just over a year ago that Reitan was crowned as winner at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final, and completely stunned by what he'd achieved.
He’d entered the week 36th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, needing something extraordinary to earn one of the 20 DP World Tour cards on offer to regain status for the first time since 2019.
He delivered. Consistency throughout his week set him in a strong position heading into the final round, but as the leaders faltered on the final day, he set the tone. Coming from behind, Reitan ultimately did enough claim his first professional victory at a time where he didn’t see it coming.
“I didn’t really see it coming at all,” he says now, reflecting on that week. “If you would have probably—let’s say even just over a year ago—told me where I am right now, I wouldn’t believe you at all.”
That win, he says, was more than a trophy.
“It was a little bit of a gate opener, probably,” he explains. “Seeing what you felt like you were capable of, but actually seeing that you were able to—that little bit of confirmation does a lot.”
It inspired how he shaped his mindset for his return to the DP World Tour for the first time in five years. Not content with simply keeping his card, Reitan set his sights high.
“I didn’t want to set the bar too low,” he says. “From last year, I saw I was actually able to produce some top finishes multiple times in a year, which wasn’t really common during my career. It’s always been maybe, you know, at max, one really good finish a year. So I wanted to be able to do that again this year—obviously at a higher level.”
While it was a slow progression, with one tied 14th and three missed cuts from his first six starts, Reitan’s commitment to playing was evident, and it wasn't long before it paid off.
That higher level came first with a runner-up finish at the Hainan Classic, and two events later in the form of his first DP World Tour title at the 2025 Soudal Open in Belgium.
Reitan entered the final day nine shots back, again needing something extraordinary. And yet, he surged through the field, carded a final-round course-record 62, and then held his nerve in his first experience of a play-off to seal a maiden DP World Tour title.
“I have no right to win that play-off, in my opinion,” he says, still slightly incredulous. He admits he didn’t arrive in Belgium expecting to win.
“I don’t have experience to back it up. I was nine shots back before the final day. But even though it was a fresh kind of scenario for me—a clean sheet—it was cool to see.
"What I take from the win a little bit is just kind of confirmation that I’ve been on the right track for a while, which is pretty cool.
“It wasn’t like I was teeing up thinking I've definitely got to get the win this week. It was more just a result of me kind of getting into the rhythm during that week, and then suddenly everything clicked."
That rhythm has defined his season. He’s played 31 tournaments this year, but stayed grounded by focusing on process over outcome. “I’ve been in a pretty good headspace the last couple of years,” he says. “Not necessarily having a goal of a top five or a win or something like that—more just kind of a process-orientated goal. If I do these things right, I fancy my chances of getting a good result.”
That shift, he says, truly began last year. “It was during last year, I would say. That’s been kind of the biggest difference for me the last few years.”
Prior to that there had been moments where Reitan questioned whether he should stop playing altogether, and he is full of gratitude to the HotelPlanner Tour with helping him grow into a player that is ready to return to compete at this level.
“It was a good couple of years for me, maturing-wise. Last year definitely did a lot of good for me," he said.
“I [now] know that it doesn’t have to be perfect to produce good golf. I feel like I’ve matured a little bit through that [first season on DP World Tour]," he added, referencing his inexperience through his first season out on Tour.
"I was also very young and looking up to a lot of the players out here. Whereas now I feel a little bit more calm within myself, just a little bit more mature, and feel like I can handle those situations a little bit better.”
It shows. After the Grand Final last year Reitan moved up in the Official World Golf Ranking from 617th to 442nd. He’s currently 56th.
Now, standing at the DP World Tour Championship for the first time, Reitan hasn't had much time to be reflective on what he's achieved. In one year, a first DP World Tour title, played in his first play-off, and secured his first appearance at the season-ending championship.
“It feels like this whole year has just been like one long ride, and it’s hard to stop up and kind of reflect along the way, almost, because it’s going so quickly," he said. "But I tried to give myself a couple of weeks to digest it a little bit.
"It’s pretty cool. I didn’t even think about it, but last week was my debut at that tournament as well. So yeah, just kind of zooming out a little bit and looking at it from that perspective—it’s pretty cool. A lot of firsts this year, which is cool.”
Even now, with a win under his belt heading into the year’s final event inside the top-five in the Race to Dubai and with one of ten PGA Tour Cards in his sights, Reitan remains grounded. “It’s pretty easy to get carried away a little bit,” he says. “But for me, just thinking about this year as a whole—regardless of how it goes this week—it’s been incredibly successful personally. I’ll be very pleased no matter what.”
That said, he’s not done yet. “Obviously I still want to play well this week,” he adds. “It’s a good opportunity to make a really good season into something special. That’s kind of in the back of my mind. But just trying to again learn from last week, see what was good, what was maybe not as good, and try to do that just a little bit better. Then I fancy my chances.”
