Lengthy seen as a rising star on the PGA Tour, Viktor Hovland has formally arrived.
Hovland ran away with the Tour Championship and lifted the FedEx Cup trophy for the primary time in his younger profession on Sunday night in Atlanta.
The Norwegian entered the day with a six-shot benefit over Xander Schauffele and by no means let that margin turn out to be smaller than three. Hovland turned in a final-round 63 at East Lake Golf Membership to complete at 27 below, whereas Schauffele fired an eight-under-par 62 — the bottom spherical of the day — however landed at 22 below for the week.
Hovland, 25, gained the PGA Tour’s season-long factors race and gained $18 million within the course of. He shot a final-round 61 final week to win the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the BMW Championship, which vaulted him to second place (eight below) to start out the Tour Championship.
Jordan Spieth (2015) and Justin Thomas (2017) are the one gamers youthful than Hovland to win the FedEx Cup.
“I really feel like I’ve taken quite a lot of steps this season,” Hovland mentioned. “Contending in additional main championships, I lastly gained within the U.S., I gained a giant event, Jack’s occasion (the Memorial Match), and truthfully, after that I felt like I’ve gotten so significantly better and it was very pleasing to see.
“After which, clearly, the final couple weeks have simply outdated that.”
Hovland and Schauffele every birdied 4 of their first six holes on Sunday to separate themselves from the remainder of the sphere. Schauffele discovered a fair increased gear, making putts of 11, 18 and 12 ft for 3 extra birdies at Nos. 8, 11 and 12 to shut the hole.
However Hovland held his floor by saving par for 9 straight holes. Probably the most crucial might have been on the par-four 14th, when Schauffele was already in with a 4 and Hovland sank a curling, right-to-left par putt from 23 ft out.
“I believe I used to be 4 below by way of six, and even then Xander simply saved pouring it on and immediately after I missed these couple of brief birdie putts on the again 9, early on the again 9, immediately the lead was at three, and if I miss that putt on 14, it’s immediately two,” Hovland mentioned.
“So what (Schauffele) was doing immediately was very particular. Definitely it made this present day much more aggravating than I felt prefer it ought to have been after that begin.”
Hovland slammed the door with birdies at Nos. 16, 17 and 18, and Schauffele’s reservoir of birdies ran out till the 18th.
Schauffele recorded his twenty eighth consecutive spherical of par or higher at East Lake, but it surely wasn’t sufficient to assist him overtake your complete discipline. He started the week seven pictures off the tempo at three below.
“I’ll maintain my head up excessive,” Schauffele mentioned. “It was probably the most enjoyable I had shedding in fairly a while. It’s such a bizarre feeling. I shot 62. I misplaced by 5. Simply kudos to Havi.”
The ultimate pairing was enjoying the par-3 second gap when the horn sounded to sign a climate delay. Lightning strikes had been within the neighborhood of the course, and a downpour of rain quickly arrived as nicely.
After a delay of 1 hour and 53 minutes, Hovland and Schauffele returned to the outlet and Hovland saved par from 16 ft.
“(Schauffele) had birdied the primary gap as nicely, and he had a pleasant alternative on No. 2,” the Oklahoma State product mentioned. “So I used to be pondering, ‘OK, yeah, I’ve a six-shot lead, but when I miss my putt and he makes his, now it’s immediately 4 and it’s a ball sport.’ In order that was an enormous putt to type of come again from the break and make that instantly and preserve that six-shot lead.”
U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark shot a 65 to complete third at 16 below and win $5 million.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Eire, final 12 months’s FedEx Cup champ, birdied 5 of his remaining seven holes to put up a 65 and place fourth at 14 below. Patrick Cantlay (66) was fifth at 13 below.
The season will resume with the “FedEx Cup Fall” collection, beginning September 14-17 on the Fortinet Championship in Napa, Calif. However the massive occasion of the autumn is the Ryder Cup, scheduled for September 29-October 1 in Rome. Gamers like Schauffele, Hovland and McIlroy have already earned spots on their respective groups.
“The opposite 11 guys on the European crew I don’t assume would have a difficulty in the event that they went out with Viktor,” McIlroy mentioned.