Viktor Hovland Wins PGA Tour Championship – Norwegian parbuster Viktor Hovland romped home with the season-ending US Professional Golfers Association Tour Championship on Sunday. The world number five dominated the four-round tournament at East Lake in Atlanta as he shot a final-round 7-under-par 63 for a 72-hole aggregate of 27-under. The 25-year-old was five shots ahead of runnerup Xander Schauffele, who carded a 62 for a 22-under total. Hovland bucked a storm delay early in his round as he made four birdies in the first six holes. This allowed him to fend off the late-round surge of the reigning Olympic champion and went home with the US$18-million top prize. Hovland took home his sixth career PGA Tour victory and stunned golf betting sites who were expecting Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm or Rory McIlroy to win the final event of the 2022-23 US PGA season.
Hovland Clinches FedEx Cup Title with Strong Finish at Playoff Finale
Viktor Hovland, who started the FedEx Cup playoff finale at 8-under as he was second on season points behind Scheffler, opened the fourth round with four birdies in six holes. Schauffele started the event with a 3-under headstart. The Norwegian was able to hold on to the lead with some crucial makes in the latter part of the round. He sank a 23-foot putt to save par at the 14th to keep him three ahead of Schauffele, who shot seven birdies in the first 12 holes to close in on Hovland. In the 16th, Hovland made a birdie on the 16th from just beyond 10 feet.
He made it two in a row when he made a 12-footer at the 17th. It gave him a five-shot edge that sealed the FedEx Cup title for the 25-year-old parbuster. In an interview, Hovland said that he felt the pressure in the latter rounds as Schauffele was closing in. He said that the turning point was on the 14th when he made the par-saving putt. If he did not make it, he could have lost a stroke that could add more trouble in the remaining holes.
US Open winner Wyndham Clark finished third at 16-under after a closing 65 while four-time major winner McIlroy, who also carded a 65 in the final round, ended up fourth on 14-under. Patrick Cantlay shot a 66 to end up fifth on 13-under. Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa and Scheffler wound up tied for sixth at 11-under while Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Adam Schenk and Keegan Bradley were joint ninth at 10-under.
Viktor Hovland Wins PGA Tour Championship: Clements Captures Czech Masters
Todd Clements captured his first European Tour title as he won the Czech Masters on Sunday. The English golfer fired a bogey-free 9-under 63 in the fourth round for a 72-hole total of 22-under 266. Clements was one shot clear of countryman Matt Wallace, who settled for second after shooting a 67. Wallace could have forced a playoff at the Albatross Golf Resort near Prague if he did not miss a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole. The World No394 Challenge Tour graduate shot in the 60s during the tournament to earn EUR315,082.76 (US$340,000) as the top prize. Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark finished third at 18-under after carding a 69.
Six players ended up in fourth place at 17-under. They included Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, Nick Bachem and Maximilian Schmitt of Germany, Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, Sam Valimaki of Finland and Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay. The results also helped MacIntyre and Aberg in their quest to get a European team slot in the Ryder Cup next month. MacIntyre strengthened his grip on third place in the European points list with one event to go in qualification – the European Masters in Switzerland. Aberg, on the other hand, might have done enough to merit a Ryder Cup entry via wildcard. Team captain Luke Donald will announce his wildcard picks on September 4.
Megan Khang Finally Wins LPGA Crown
Megan Khang edged past former world number one Ko Jin-young of South Korea in a playoff to win the CPKC Women’s Canadian Open on Sunday. It was the first career Ladies Professional Golfers Association for the 25-year-old American in 190 starts. Khang and Ko ended up in a playoff after both golfers finished regulation 72 holes at 9-under 279. The South Korean golfer shot a 69 in the final round while Khang struggled with a 74 and could have missed the opportunity to fight for the top prize if not for a four-foot birdie putt in the 18th hole of the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.
The playoff began at the par-4 18th with Khang finding the fairway and the fringe of the green. Ko, meanwhile, had her tee shot finding the bush beyond a cart path, forcing her to take a penalty stroke. She needed two putts to settle for a double-bogey. Khang also two-putted as her shot stopped inches short from the hole but she had the lesser strokes in the playoff to win the title. It was a surprise win for Khang, who had 33 top-10 finishes since 2016, and it caused a stir in various online sportsbooks, as nobody expected her to win the event. China’s fifth-ranked Yin Ruoning was third on 281 after a 66 with South Korean Kim Sei-young and Australian Hannah Green sharing fourth on 282.
