Michael Thorbjornsen is no stranger to dealing with health issues and injuries during tournaments. The 24-year-old faced another scare on Thursday as he teed off at TPC Southwind for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. After finishing the opening round tied for the lead, the Stanford graduate talked about the health issue that had left him considering a withdrawal from the event. 

“It was a little tough kind of dealing with the heat, and there’s still a sickness, kind of hacking up on every hole. But good,” Thorbjornsen told reporters. “… You just have to accept that you’re not feeling great and stuff’s going to happen… You kind of adjust. You can’t hang over the ball for too long.”

While he did not reveal the specifics of his health issue, reporters asked whether it was serious enough to make him consider withdrawing from the event altogether. Michael Thorbjornsen admitted that the thought had crossed his mind. 

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“There were points yesterday where it’s like, if it doesn’t get any better, if it gets a little worse, it might be worth a thought,” he added. “… But I feel like whenever you are sick, it’s always toughest right before you go to bed and right when you wake up. Obviously, I just kind of went through my same routine. 

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“It would have been a very last-minute decision if I were to pull out. I probably started to feel something [on Tuesday] and then obviously got worse yesterday… Sometimes I feel better, sometimes I don’t. I’m on antibiotics right now. I think 24 hours is around right now, and then giving myself another 24 hours, I should be feeling much better.”

While he decided to push through his illness at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, that wasn’t the case last year when he began his season. During the 2025 Sony Open, Michael Thorbjornsen contracted tonsillitis after arriving in Hawaii, forcing him to withdraw from the event.

Before that, a stress fracture in his back in August 2023 forced him to miss the U.S. Amateur and a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team. He also dealt with an ankle injury later that same year. Thorbjornsen has also had to withdraw from some PGA Tour events mid-round because of other injuries.

That said, despite his health struggles on Thursday, Thorbjornsen put together an impressive performance. He carded four birdies, an eagle, and just one bogey to finish the opening round with a 5-under 65, sharing the lead with Jordan Spieth, Kurt Kitayama, Michael Kim and Jake Knapp. His early position at the top of the leaderboard comes on the heels of his breakthrough victory at the Rocket Classic, where the 24-year-old claimed his first PGA Tour title.

That said, Thorbjornsen’s history of health complications during tournaments remains a concern. Hopefully, he can recover quickly and keep the issue from affecting his game as the FedEx St. Jude Championship progresses.