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)
PARIS (AP) — French police detained 780 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League title.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 57 officers were wounded, with most suffering minor injuries, as football fans set off fires and vandalized shops. One small group even tried to storm a Paris police station.
Nuñez said at a news conference Sunday that “the situation has been largely brought under control."
“Most of the celebrations took place peacefully” across the French capital, he said, noting most incidents happened in the Champs Elysees neighborhood and close to the Parc des Princes stadium in western Paris where fans had gathered to watch the match.
Police also intervened five times overnight to prevent people from blocking traffic on the main ring road around Paris, he said.
Nuñez said incidents took place in about 15 cities in France, describing “one to two” shops vandalized in each other than Paris. He said 780 people were detained in all, with 480 of them in the Paris area alone.
The Paris prosecutors’ office said 277 people have been formally placed in police custody, including 82 minors, for alleged offences. Most were for assault of police officers while other allegations include theft, vandalism and disturbing the public order.
One serious accident involved a driver losing control of a car that rammed into a restaurant's terrace, leaving two people wounded including one seriously, Nuñez said.
But Nuñez said that planned celebrations for the team's win on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, would go ahead as scheduled. He warned that police would respond with “firmness and determination” to any potential violence.
The PSG team will then be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace.
Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle Saturday evening in Budapest, Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain won by beating Arsenal on penalties in a dramatic final.
Fans marched along the avenues near Paris' Arc de Triomphe monument, with some setting off flares and blaring car horns. Around 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Elysees, where police worked to contain the crowd.
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires to garbage and self-service bicycles in the streets. Cars were also set ablaze. Those who attempted to storm a police station in the posh 8th Arrondissement neighborhood were dispersed, police said.
In May last year following PSG’s first title, 201 people were injured in the French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
A car burns and fireworks explode as police watch PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that's being played in Budapest., PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
A car burns and fireworks explode as police watch PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that's being played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
A car burns as PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that's being played in Budapest., PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
A man holds a flare as PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that's being played in Budapest., PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Police try to disperses PSG supporters who left off fireworks as they celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that was played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
