Thomas Rosenmueller wins NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank

GLENVIEW, Illinois – Thomas Rosenmueller converted a two-stroke 54-hole lead into his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday, closing in 5-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over 22-year-old Australian Karl Vilips at the 2024 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank.

Rosenmueller totaled 25-under 259, tying the fourth-lowest 72-hole score on Tour this season, in addition to tying the 72-hole tournament scoring record established in 2023 by Trace Crowe and Patrick Fishburn (Crowe prevailed in a sudden-death playoff.)

A 27-year-old University of North Texas alum who plays from Ismaning, Germany, Rosenmueller found himself tied with Vilips late in the final round at The Glen Club. Rosenmueller pulled ahead with an 8-footer for birdie at the par-4 14th and followed it with a hole-out eagle from 32 yards at the par-4 15th. A bogey at the par-4 16th provided some drama down the closing stretch, but Rosenmueller made two-putt pars at both the par-3 17th and par-5 18th as he coasted to victory.

“I had a feeling I had a chance the whole time, but the putter kind of went cold Nos. 6 through 12,” Rosenmueller said. “I had a lot of good chances and didn't capitalize on them. Then the putt on No. 14, that was an unbelievable birdie… hit it to 8 feet, downhill slider and made it. The chip-in on No. 15 was, I think, when I realized this is mine for the taking. It was just an open face 60‑degree, a little high spinner and worked out perfectly and went in dead center.”

Rosenmueller became the eighth 54-hole leader or co-leader to win on Tour this season. He also became the 14th first-time winner on Tour this season.

“That’s what we’re working for out there, that’s what you’re trying to manifest,” Rosenmueller said of the win. “You spend the night before trying to go to bed, just imagining what it feels like, imagining what the pressure feels like, so you kind of get ready for it, but you can never quite picture what it’s like when you walk up that 18th green like, ‘I just got to lag this close, and then we’re good.’”

Rosenmueller turned professional out of North Texas in 2019 but was not exactly brimming with confidence as he ventured into professional golf. A wrist injury derailed his senior season, and upon his return he “couldn’t break 80.”

Rosenmueller stuck it out but returned home to Germany amid the COVID-19 pandemic and enrolled in a master’s degree program at a local university. Although Rosenmueller attended orientation, he never made it to a class, as he earned status on the Pro Golf Tour in Europe. He won three times in 2020 and earned a promotion to the Challenge Tour.

Rosenmueller struggled mightily on the Challenge Tour, missing 10 cuts in 15 starts. He took a chance and returned to the United States, where he entered Q-School and earned Korn Ferry Tour membership with a T11 at Final Stage in November 2021.

“I actually cut (the Challenge Tour season) short in 2021 to come over here and qualify,” Rosenmueller said. “I didn’t really believe it was possible that I could get Korn Fery Tour status… and I ended up qualifying.”

Once again, Rosenmueller hit a wall. As a Korn Ferry Tour rookie in 2022, Rosenmueller finished 158th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List with 16 missed cuts in 22 starts.

“I was lucky to have sponsors in 2022. I probably would have had to quit playing if I didn’t have them,” said Rosenmueller, his eyes welling up as he discussed their support. “That’s mostly why I was emotional, because of the struggle. They held true to me, and they supported me through all this.”

Rosenmueller turned a corner in 2023, finishing 67th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List for fully exempt status in 2024. He had an important decision to make, though. Should he play PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry and chase a PGA TOUR card, or devote the entire offseason to self-development and chase TOUR membership through the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season?

Rosenmueller chose the long path. He tightened up his golf swing, drilled down on his putting, and focused on stability, strength, and mobility in the gym. The results, however, did not immediately follow, as Rosenmueller opened the 2024 season with a T50 and six consecutive missed cuts.

“I looked like the biggest clown on planet Earth,” Rosenmueller said. “You take three months off when you’re playing well to get yourself ready, and you play like that. It’s like, ‘What have I done?’”

Rosenmueller’s only missed cut since was a withdrawal from The Ascendant presented by Blue two weeks ago. A neck injury left him unable to turn his head, and even caused bouts of dizziness when he swung the golf club. Prior to the injury, Rosenmueller amassed two top-10s and another trio of top-25s.

The injury and the rest of the struggles in his professional career rose to the surface as Rosenmueller tapped in for the victory Sunday.

“I mean, 2020 was great, 2021 was horrendous, 2022 was even worse… now I’m here on the verge of a PGA TOUR card,” Rosenmueller said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s a lot of weight coming off my shoulders, especially thinking I made the wrong decision last fall to not play Q-School when I was playing well. Certainly shows it was worth it. All the work I’ve put in, it’s nice to see it finally pay off.”

The victory moves Rosenmueller to No. 15 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List with seven events remaining in the season. The top 30 players on the final Points List will earn PGA TOUR membership for the 2025 season.

“I’m just going to keep playing,” Rosenmueller said. “But I’ve definitely put myself in a great spot of making (a PGA TOUR card) a reality at the end of the year.”

Final-Round Notes

• Steven Fisk (T3/-22) records his Korn Ferry Tour-leading fifth top-three finish of the 2024 season and returns to No. 1 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List; he also becomes the first player since Carl Yuan (2022) to record five top-three finishes on Tour in the same season.
• Karl Vilips (2nd/-23), who finished No. 10 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, follows top-15 finishes in his first two Korn Ferry Tour starts with a runner-up finish in his third career start; he earns a spot in next week’s Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health, and moves to No. 44 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
• Davis Chatfield (T3/-22) posts a career-high finish, eclipsing his previous career-high finish on Tour of T6/2024 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open; he has three top-10s in two seasons on Tour, with two coming this season; Chatfield has made 12 consecutive cuts, the longest active streak on Tour.
• Zach Bauchou (T3/-22) notches a career-high finish in what was his 27th career start on Tour, eclipsing his previous career-high finish of T4/2023 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open; he has five career top-10s on Tour, with three coming this season (T5/The Panama Championship; T9/Veritex Bank Championship).
• Rookie Sam Bennett (T3/-22) posts his second consecutive top-three finish (T3/Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper) and his fifth top-10 of the 2024 season.
• Sudarshan Yellamaraju (T7/-21), a 23-year-old Canadian, posts his first career top-10 on Tour.