Viktor Hovland kept hitting every shot just the way he wanted on the back nine at Olympia Fields. Rory McIlroy was keeping Hovland's card and kept writing "3" in just about every box.
Hovland delivered the best round of his career at just the right time Sunday, turning a two-man race into a one-man show by breaking the course record with a 9-under 61 to surge past Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick and win the BMW Championship.
The previous mark of 62 had been set twice this week on the rain-softened North course, by Sam Burns and Max Homa the previous two days. Hovland was so close to perfection that he birdied all but two holes on the back nine.
"When I made the putt on 15 for birdie, I felt like, 'OK, we've got a chance now if I can finish pretty well,'" Hovland said. "Then you never know what's going to happen behind you. ... Until then, I had no idea what was going on. I was just going to try to play well and keep making birdies."
It was the lowest finish by a winner on TOUR this season, Hovland’s career low, and the lowest score in the history of the FedExCup Playoffs. He made 12 threes in what was close to a flawless round: 12/14 fairways (he led the field for the week at 43/56), 16/18 greens hit, first in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 2nd in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Scheffler, who started the day tied at the top with Fitzpatrick, three ahead of Hovland and Rory McIlroy, birdied two of the first three holes, three of the first six, and led for most of the day. The last five holes, however, featured a dramatic reversal. Scheffler played them in 1 over par, while Hovland, playing up ahead, blitzed them in 4 under.
The win jumped Hovland to No. 2 in the FedExCup standings headed into the Tour Championship next week at East Lake.
“I don’t think I have to think too long,” Hovland said on CBS. “It definitely has to be the best round I’ve ever played, given the circumstances … It’s pretty special.
For all the FedEx Cup possibilities that played out over some six hours Sunday, Fitzpatrick was the only player who worked his way into the top 30 golfers who head to Atlanta for a shot at the $18 million bonus. He started at No. 40 and moved up to No. 10.
Read more
Spain's World Cup: Olga Carmona Winning World Cup for Spain West Ham United vs Chelsea (3-1)Sarah H
Also on site :
- Low Countries Up High: Belgium & the Netherlands’ Secret Andean Altitude Training
- PUBG Mobile Unveils Winterglow Sylph Set Ahead of 4.2 Update
- ‘Yashasvi Jaiswal will need to wait longer for RR captaincy, Dhurv Jurel closest match to Sanju Samson’