Thomas Detry turned pro in 2016 and remains winless on the PGA Tour. He came close to noticing his first Stateside victory at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October 2022. But he finished second to Irishman Seamus Power. He revealed in 2024 at Pebble Beach that he “tend to, maybe, question myself too much. I tend to have a lot of thoughts rushing to my brains sometimes on Sundays.” Maybe, this is what is holding him back.

Born on January 13th, 1993, in Uccle, Belgium, Detry was introduced to sports at a young age. He used to play tennis lawn hockey, and even golf. It was golf that stuck with him. At the age of 5, he got a head start on the golfing environment, which later helped him to compete at different tournaments. When he was 13, he became a regular in competitions. It was his education at the Top Sports School Vlaanderen in Hasselt, Belgium, until 2012 that helped him set a stepping stone.

At 16, he started to get the best of his skills at amateur events. In 2009, when he was 16 years old, he won the Dutch Junior Open, which was a competition for young golfers aged under 21. The following year, he was selected for the Junior Ryder Cup team in 2010. Though the team lost, the event introduced the Belgian professional to his good friend, Thomas Pieters.

On his website, he writes, “I made the decision to pack my bags and leave Belgium in order to study and immerse myself in College Golf at the University of Illinois! I spent four of the most amazing years of my life in the US – playing in a multitude of amateur golf events under the watchful eye of our incredible coach Mike Small.”

After this, he returned to Europe to continue his golfing dream. How has his professional career been?

A glimpse of Thomas Detry’s professional career

His handicap was plus-6, which helped him become a highly ranked amateur golfer. However, after turning professional, he did not have to wait for long to get his first title, as he won the Bridgestone Challenge in 2016. Apart from just winning the event, the recently turned professional set the lowest score to par in Challenge Tour history; along with that, he also set the record for the biggest margin of winning by 12 strokes.

He was delighted after this as the win at Bridgestone combined with a couple of other solid finishes throughout his 2016 season resulted in him finishing 15th on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit that year. As a result of this, in the space of five months, he had done enough to secure full playing rights for the European Tour in 2017! “It was a dream come true,” said Detry.

2 years later, he won his second title with his old friend and Junior Ryder Cup teammate, Thomas Pieters. Their team won the 2018 World Cup of Golf for Belgium. “There are very few opportunities in this sport where you get the chance to represent your country before yourself as an individual, but to win and become a World Champion with your best friend by your side made it truly unforgettable. My friendship with both Pieters and fellow Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts has been a major asset to me from the moment I set foot in the golfing arena and each week we tee it up, we continue to do what we can to make everyone back home in Belgium proud!” said Detry of his win.

Will this be the year for the professional to change his record? Can Thomas Detry close the leaderboard with a better finish this year? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.