Thorbjorn signaled to the golfing world his outstanding talent when as an 18 year-old, he finished 4th in the Scandinavian Masters late in the summer of 2008 while being a member of the Nordic mini tour. After playing a handful of events on the Challenge Tour in 2009, he went to the qualifying school and missed out on his full European Tour card by just 1 shot. Perhaps a blessing in disguise, he committed himself in 2010 to the Challenge Tour, a Tour which he was the stand-out player on, winning once at The Princess Challenge Championship and finishing 3rd on the final rankings, thus gaining promotion to the European Tour. In his first event on the European Tour in 2011, he finished tied 2nd at Leopard Creek and then tied 9th the following week at the South African Open, thus underlining his talent. Further success followed throughout the season and he finished his rookie year 48th on the Race to Dubai.

In 2012, Thorbjorn won his first event on the European Tour at the Sicilian Open

In 2012, Thorbjorn won his first event on the European Tour at the Sicilian Open. The resulting boost in self-confidence saw Thorbjorn produce far more consistent results but his year was turned around even further when he came through a play-off at Sunningdale Golf Club to qualify for The Open. It was there that he shone on the big stage, partnering Tiger Woods in the 3rd round and matching him shot for shot, ultimately finishing in a tie for 9th. It was that performance which catapulted him into the world’s top 100 for the first time, leading to his first appearance in the US at the USPGA Championship. After this, his career progression has been noteworthy. He finished the year 15th on the Race to Dubai and broke into the top 50 in the world, thus earning him his invitation to the 2013 Masters Tournament.