AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Augusta National isn't intimidating Masters rookie Kristoffer Reitan.
The 28-year-old Norwegian looked right at home amid the azaleas and dogwoods, shooting a 4-under 68 on Friday to climb into a tie for seventh, eight shots behind runaway leader and defending champion Rory McIlroy but only two shots out of second place after 36 holes.
Reitan's big day, which included four straight birdies on the back nine, comes just five days after he secured his best finish on the PGA Tour — a tie for 10th at the Texas Open.
He never thought he'd be in this position.
“Exceeded my expectations,” Reitan said.
The PGA Tour rookie is one of a record eight players from Nordic countries in the Masters this year.
While he hails from a country known for cross-country skiing — Norwegians have won the most Olympic gold medals in the sport — it never quite grabbed Reitan's attention.
Instead of hitting the slopes, his father would take him to stay in a house in Spain, where Reitan learned to play golf. He eventually realized he was pretty good, and chose it over his other love, soccer.
“I just ended up picking golf at a fairly early age, and that’s been my entire life for a long time,” Reitan said.
It's looking like a pretty good decision.
After years of struggling to secure a European tour card, Reitan broke through in 2025 with two international wins, including the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, which vaulted him into the top 50 in the world ranking and earned him a tee time at Augusta National — the one course he said he would love to play time and time again.
He'd never seen Augusta National before a couple of months ago.
Taking the advice of countryman Viktor Hovland, Reitan traveled to Georgia to play a few practice rounds before the Players Championship.
“That definitely helped,” said Reitan, who played four practice rounds before Thursday's first round. “I came up just to gain some familiarity with the course and with the place and try calm down the nerves a little bit by doing that. So I felt like that was a good move.”
Reitan began his run with a birdie on the tricky par-3 12th hole.
After three more birdies, he found himself tied for third and only a stroke off the lead. He wound up bogeying the 18th, and that was before McIlroy later went on a heater on the back nine to build his huge lead.
Reitan's run came to a close on the par-3 16th after what might have been his best shot of the day. His approach hit the flagstick, only to carom several feet away, and he missed the putt.
Reitan has no illusions about becoming the first Masters rookie to win since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
“No, I’m not thinking about that at all,” he said. “Way too much golf to be played. I’m a rookie here, yeah. I’m a rookie on the PGA Tour. I'm just trying to find my feet and my game as well. I’m pretty humble in that regard.”
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Kristoffer Reitan, of Norway, watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Kristoffer Reitan, of Norway, watches his tee shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
LONDON (AP) — Homegrown hit "Paddington The Musical” was the big winner at London’s Olivier Awards on Sunday, where the marmalade-loving bear from Peru won seven trophies, including best new musical.
The prizes celebrating achievements in theater, opera and dance are Britain’s equivalent of Broadway’s Tony Awards.
Based on Michael Bond’s stories about a duffel-coated bear seeking a new home in London, “Paddington The Musical” was written by playwright Jessica Swale and songwriter Tom Fletcher of the band McFly.
Bond’s books have been much-loved since the 1950s¸and in recent years Paddington has become a British icon through three successful movies and an on-screen appearance with Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, just weeks before her death.
The musical has proved a major success since it opened in November, with audiences embracing the cuddly central character, brought to life through a blend of live acting and puppetry.
Its Olivier wins included a joint best actor in a musical award for James Hameed and Arti Shah, who together play the role. Hameed provides the voice and remote puppetry, while Shah — the first woman to win a best-actor Olivier — inhabits the bear costume onstage.
Hameed urged people to embrace the Paddington stories' message of welcoming immigrants and strangers. “Paddington reminds us to be welcoming, inquisitive and most importantly, kind,” he said.
Cast members Tom Edden and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt won the supporting performer prizes, and the show also took trophies for director Luke Sheppard and for both set and costume design.
Sheppard hinted that this “love letter to London” could one day be Broadway-bound. “It would be a dream for Paddington to pack his suitcase and visit some other cities around the world,” the director said backstage. “So watch this space.”
Rachel Zegler was named best actress in a musical for her starring role in “Evita.” Playing Argentine first lady Eva Peron, Zegler performed the song “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” on an exterior balcony, attracting large crowds to the street every night while theatergoers inside watched on screens.
A much-praised production of Stephen Sondheim’s twisted fairy tale journey “Into the Woods” won the prize for best musical revival, and a second award for lighting.
In the nonmusical categories, Rosamund Pike was named best actress for playing a judge forced to question the justice system and her own ethics in “Inter Alia.” She said doing the one-woman show, her first stage play in 14 years, was an “exhilarating risk.”
Jack Holden took the best actor prize for playing multiple roles in small-town murder mystery “Kenrex.”
“All My Sons” was named best revival, with Paapa Essiedu winning the best supporting actor trophy for Arthur Miller’s classic drama.
Julie Hesmondhalgh took home the best supporting actress prize for “Punch.” The true-life crime and redemption story, which had a Broadway run last year, was also named best new play
Playwright James Graham said it had been “one of the honors of my life” to dramatize the story of Jacob Dunne, who killed another man with a single punch in a fight but went on to reconciliation with the victim’s family. Graham was joined onstage by Dunne and the victim’s mother, Joan Scourfield.
The Olivier Awards were founded in 1976 and named after the late actor-director Laurence Olivier. The winners are chosen by voting groups of stage professionals and theatergoers.
“Ted Lasso” star Nick Mohammed hosted the 50th anniversary edition of the awards at a star-studded ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, where Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Vanessa Williams and Andrew Lloyd Webber were among the trophy presenters.
The ceremony included performances from nominated musicals and numbers marking two significant anniversaries: 40 years of Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” and 20 years of “Wicked” in the West End.
Elaine Paige, star of hit musicals including “Cats,” “Evita,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “Piaf,” received this year’s Special Award.
The upbeat ceremony reflected the mood of London theater, which is celebrating a strong post-pandemic return. The Society of London Theatre, an industry umbrella group, says ticket sales have surpassed the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Shows in the West End — the collective name for London’s theaterland — attracted 17.6 million visitors in 2025, 3 million more than Broadway.
But there are concerns about rising ticket prices and soaring production budgets, fueled by higher costs for labor, materials and energy.
“Theaters are busier than ever, but many are operating with far less financial headroom,” the society said in a report published last month.
Rachel Zegler reacts upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Rosamund Pike poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Boy George poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Marisha Wallace poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Jo Foster poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus pose for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Cate Blanchett reacts as she poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
FILE - Cate Blanchett poses for photographers during the awards ceremony red carpet at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 24, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)
