CHARLOTTE – Alex Noren’s expectations for this week’s PGA Championship were understandably low considering his record this season.
The Swede’s performances this year haven’t been poor, just extremely limited after a muscle injury in January sidelined him until last week, where he tied for 51st at the Truist Championship in his only start of 2025.
“I got some good perspective, like spending that much time kind of in the middle of a career, like hopefully I’ll play a lot longer,” Noren said following a third-round 66 that left him alone in second place at Quail Hollow Club. “But to kind of have that time to see the family a lot, it’s been nice.”
Noren suffered a tear to a tendon in his hamstring on his right sit bone while preparing to play the season-opening Sentry in Maui. The good news was it wasn’t a complete tear, just 90%, so he didn’t need surgery, which would have been a long and grueling rehabilitation.
“I had that 10% left [in the tendon] to make it heal back so I didn’t have to have surgery. If it was actually torn, I would not play right now,” he said. “That was lucky but also bad at the same time.”
Following his extended break, Noren finds himself in a surprising position at the year’s second major. One of the PGA Tour’s most intense workers was also able to use the extended off-season to finally spend time with his family, including a first-time stint as his daughter’s softball team coach.
“It was really nice to have that because at first I had three months of kind of offseason, and then the four months involuntary,” he said. “So, it gave some good perspective, obviously wish I would have played more golf leading up to this than I have.”
