Viktor Hovland received the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake on Monday (AEST), confirming himself as the most well liked expertise in males’s golf whereas incomes an $18 million (A$28m) payday.
The 25-year-old, who got here second at this 12 months’s PGA Championship, transformed a six-shot, 54-hole lead right into a five-shot victory that additionally fingers him the 12 months’s FedEx Cup title.
Hovland entered the Tour Championship second within the rankings — he additionally received final week’s BMW Championship — which meant he began two photographs behind the main Scottie Scheffler.
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Hovland blitzed the sector over the primary three rounds and held his nerve on the ultimate day with 4 birdies within the first six holes, adopted by nine-conscutive pars and three extra birdies that gave him a last rating of 27-under.
He’s the third-youngest winner of the FedEx Cup, and is now totally exempt on the PGA Tour via the 2028 season.
Scheffler, in the meantime, has been left to rue the second-straight 12 months of getting into the Tour Championship because the season’s high participant earlier than failing to win the showpiece occasion.
Already fading at East Lake, Scheffler couldn’t mount a comeback on the ultimate day and completed T6 at 11-under — just one shot higher than the place he began.
Earlier, Hovland’s lead was briefly shrunk to only three photographs with Xander Schauffele making a cost across the flip, however the Norwegian refused to crumble and restored an enormous lead.
Schauffele completed second, 5 photographs behind Hovland, whereas third was US Open winner Wyndham Clark at 16-under.
Finishing the highest 5 have been Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, whereas the one Australian within the subject, Jason Day, got here twenty eighth.
Hovland’s back-to-back wins within the FedEx Cup playoffs marks him as arguably the world’s greatest golfer in the meanwhile, even when not ranked No.1 on this planet.
And with the Ryder Cup across the nook, the Individuals have each cause to be frightened about Europe’s possibilities this 12 months.
“Viktor Hovland goes to be an issue on the Ryder Cup. A giant, massive downside,” PGA Tour insider Dan Rapaport stated of Hovland after he received the BMW Championship.
In the meantime, Scheffler stays winless on the PGA Tour since March regardless of having one of many nice ball-striking seasons on file.
He was as soon as once more let down by his putter, and faces an low season of making an attempt to rectify points with the flat stick which have prevented him from extra wins.
“Scottie Scheffler appears precisely such as you’d count on anyone who’s having one of many nice ball-striking seasons ever however hasn’t received in 5 months as a result of he can’t purchase a putt to look on his eleventh spherical of insanely sizzling, muggy playoff golf: Totally depressing,” CBS’ Kyle Porter stated.
2023 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZE MONEY (USD)
1. Viktor Hovland, 27 below: $18,000,000
2. Xander Schauffele, 22 below: $6,500,000
3. Wyndham Clark, 16 below: $5,000,000
4. Rory McIlroy, 14 below: $4,000,000
5. Patrick Cantlay, 13 below: $3,000,000
T6. Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler, Keegan Bradley; 11 below: $2,000,000
T9. Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Adam Schenk, Keegan Bradley; 10 below: $990,000
T14. Russell Henley, Sepp Straka; 9 below: $780,000
T16. Rickie Fowler, Tyrrell Hatton; 8 below: $710,000
T18. Lucas Glover, Jon Rahm; 7 below: $670,000
T20. Si Woo Kim, Tony Finau, Tom Kim; 6 below: $620,000
23. Brian Harman, 4 below: $580,000
24. Sungjae Im, 3 below: $565,000
25. Nick Taylor, 2 below: $550,000
26. Corey Conners, 1 below: $540,000
27. Jordan Spieth, 1 over: $530,000
28. Jason Day, 3 over: $520,000
T29. Emiliano Grillo, Taylor Moore; 6 over: $505,000