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Viktor hovland.

Viktor Hovland played the best golf of his life in the final two weeks of the PGA TOUR season, and it paid off Sunday with the biggest trophy of his career -- a FedExCup title along with the $18 million bonus.

Staked to a six-shot lead, Hovland didn't flinch under a relentless challenge from Xander Schauffele. The 25-year-old Norwegian stayed on the attack and closed with a 7-under 63 for a five-shot victory at East Lake.

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Collin morikawa shatters tiger's tour championship record among second-round takeaways, share this article.

ATLANTA — Collin Morikawa went down a rabbit hole in search of a swing fix and grabbed ahold of one by the tail. Viktor Hovland continues to make birdies in bunches.

That’s how these two find themselves sharing the 36-hole lead at 16-under par at the midway point of the Tour Championship.

At one time on Friday, there were 13 golfers in the field of 30 within two strokes of the lead, but by day’s end, the co-leaders had signed for a pair of 64s at East Lake Golf Club and only six golfers were within four strokes of the lead.

Morikawa, who is seeking his first win since the 2021 British Open and began the tournament nine strokes behind Scottie Scheffler in the staggered-start scoring system used to determine the FedEx Cup champion, was searching for his game on Tuesday afternoon on the range.

“I was going to treat Monday through Wednesday this week just as a kind of relaxing, get into it, game felt good enough to play well, and I went down this rabbit hole of just kind of — I hit one bad shot in the practice round, tried to figure it out, was out on the range two more hours,” he said.

With birdies on his final two holes, Morikawa opened with rounds of 61-64 to break the Tour Championship 36-hole scoring record of 127, previously set by Tiger Woods. He’s the only player in the field who is bogey-free through 36 holes.

 “If I was going to tell myself I was going to be 16 under through two days, with my total score or whatever you want to call it, I would have taken that,” Morikawa said.

He’d also take ranking first in the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, driving accuracy and proximity. His putting hasn’t been too shabby, either.

“I’ve never seen him look as confident on the greens as we have so far this week,” said PGA Tour Radio’s Dennis Paulson.

Hovland, who won last week at the BMW Championship and entered the week in second place in the season-long FedEx Cup, is hotter than the weather, which tipped out at 97 degrees Friday. Hovland birdied five holes in a six-hole stretch on the back nine starting at No. 12 to post 64 and grab a share of his fifth career 36-hole lead.

“We’ve all grinded out the whole year to be at this spot but we’re only halfway there and so got to keep playing the way I’ve been playing,” he said. “When things feel good, you just trust your feels and visualize it and when it’s that easy, you just want to keep it that easy.”

Both Hovland and Morikawa are certainly making it look easy so far.

Here are four more things to know from the Tour Championship.

Scheffler’s putter warms up

Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the ninth tee during the second round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Scottie Scheffler rebounded from dead last in putting among the field of 30 on Thursday (-3.238) to fifth on Friday (+1.729). He said he had better pace on his putts and avoided the dreaded three putts, which slayed him en route to 71 in the opening round. He rebounded with a bogey-free 65 and yet lost ground on the leaders.

“I was actually closer to the lead after yesterday’s round,” said Scheffler, who is alone in third and trails by two strokes. “That’s how weird this format is.”

The World No. 1 made birdies at Nos. 1, 3 and 6 for the second straight day and tacked on two more – at Nos. 12 and 14 – on his way to the house.

This marks the second time in the FedEx Cup Starting Strokes era that the No. 1 seed entering the week has not held at least a share of the 36-hole lead (Justin Thomas, 2019).

“I would like to be in the lead,” Scheffler said. “But, no, I played good golf today. I just need to do more of that the next two days.”

Bradley’s Ryder Cup luggage awaits

Keegan Bradley plays his shot from the ninth tee during the second round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Keegan Bradley’s suitcase full of clothing, personal items and a bottle of champagne from the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup defeat remain unpacked.

“It’s in my garage. I thought for a while I’ll never open it again,” he said. “So hopefully I get a chance to play on this team. If I don’t, I’m going to be rooting hard. There’s been, in years past it’s been really hard for me to watch the Ryder Cup because I just haven’t been in the conversation to be on the team. But this year if I don’t make the team it will be different. I’ll watch and I’ll be pulling for the guys just as if I was playing.”

Bradley followed up an opening-round 63 at East Lake with a 67 on Friday to sit alone in fourth at 13 under. Just as importantly, the two-time winner this season showed U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson that he remains in good form.

“It certainly can’t hurt, I know that,” Bradley said of playing well this week. “But I’m just trying my best to not think too much about it, but I got people with microphones asking me every second, and then when I’m walking the fairways, people yell it out to me every second…periodically throughout the round it will pop into my head. But it’s impossible for me not to think about. So I’m sort of trying to embrace it.”

Bradley has been on two losing U.S. teams – in 2012 and 2014 – but hasn’t sniffed the team since. Asked how the contents of his Ryder Cup bag must sell, he smiled and said, “Not very good.”

Rahm and Schauffele well positioned for Moving Day

Jon Rahm follows his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are lurking, four back of the leaders and T-5.

After 30 weeks at the top of the FedEx Cup, Rahm started the week in fourth place and 6 under, picking a bad time to have two of his worst weeks of the season. After a 69 on Thursday, Rahm got back on track, carding seven birdies and two bogeys en route to 5-under 65. As proof that this week matters to him, Rahm pumped his fist when he canned an 11-foot par putt at 14. It’s not every day the best fist pump par putts on Friday.

“It just felt good to not drop one,” he said. “It wasn’t the worst tee shot in the world. I had no chance to hit it on the green. Another tough lie afterwards. And, you know, sometimes you can fix a hole with a good putt.”

Schauffele started the week at 3 under with more ground to make up, but he’s always a threat at East Lake. Schauffele, who qualified for the Tour Championship for the seventh straight year, has never finished worse that T-7, and won the stroke-play portion of the tournament in 2017. He recorded his 23 rd of 26 career rounds under par in the event. He’s not sure exactly why he feasts on birdies at East Lake, but it helps that he usually putts out of his mind – this week ranking third in Strokes Gained: putting through 36 holes.

“The greens are so pure, you feel like you can start rolling anything in,” he said.

After his 64 today, Xander Schauffele has now shot par or better in all 26 of his career Tour Championship rounds at East Lake. Since his debut in 2017, he's 75-under-par here – best of any player by more than 20 shots. — Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 25, 2023

Schauffele is winless this season, but there’s still hope he can cap off his season with one big scalp.

“I look up at the board and I’m just barely picking up ground, so still a lot to do,” he said.

McIlroy’s balky back

Rory McIlroy follows his shot from the ninth tee during the second round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Rory McIlroy continues to nurse an ailing back that has limited what he can do, but he still managed to shoot 3-under 67. Despite the lower-right back pain, he’s alone in seventh at 10 under as he attempts to defend his FedEx Cup title, and recorded his 30 th consecutive round at par or better on Tour, the longest active streak.

“I’m here grinding away, battling away,” he said. “I felt like I had a little more speed. I was probably half a club off my numbers than maybe a full club yesterday. But still it’s just hard to sort of get my right side through the ball. It actually feels better with the longer clubs because I’m more upright in my posture. When I sort of get down to the shorter stuff trying to stay in my posture is a struggle.”

When McIlroy complained about having less speed and hitting it shorter, caddie Harry Diamond shot back and said, “Now you know how everyone else feels.”

McIlroy said he’s unable to hit the ball from left to right or hit his irons in typical fashion

“I can’t turn my right side through the ball. So from the top of the swing I’m just sort of throwing my arms at it and it’s a lot of face rotation,” he said. “I would say it got a touch better today in terms of being able to just put a little bit more speed into the swing.”

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Tour Championship Leaderboard And Final Round Live Updates - Hovland Wins FedEx Cup by Five Shots Over Schauffele

The 2022/23 PGA Tour season comes to a conclusion this evening at East Lake. Who will lift the FedEx Cup and take the $18m bonus?

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Viktor Hovland fought off a spirited fightback from Xander Schauffele to claim back-to-back victories and the FedEx Cup with a five-shot victory at the Tour Championship.

Starting the day six shots ahead, Hovland started fast, making four birdies in his first six holes either side of a rain delay but was unable to shake off the challenge of Schauffele.

The American, who has never finished below seventh in his six appearances so far at East Lake, also made four birdies in his first six holes and continued to battle away, at one point reducing Hovland's lead down to just three after three birdies in five holes around the turn.

As the rest of the field was left behind, the final pairing offered up something of a prelude for next month's Ryder Cup over the back nine, going blow for blow over the final holes.

The turning point would arrive on the 14th, where Hovland responded from a poor chip to drain a crucial par putt and retain his three-shot advantage. From there, the 25-year-old found three birdies in his final three holes to finish on -27, securing back-to-back wins alongside the $18m winner cheque.

After Schauffele on -22, Wyndham Clark was the next best back at -16. Solid final rounds from Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay saw the pair round out the top five at -14 and -13 respectively. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler finished at T6 on -11.

Relive all the action from the final round of the Tour Championship below:

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD

• -27: HOVLAND
• -22: SCHAUFFELE
• -14: MCILROY 
• -13: CANTLAY

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Hello and welcome to Golf Monthly's live coverage of the final round of the Tour Championship. After a stellar round on Saturday, the tournament is really Viktor Hovland's to lose. Fresh of his victory last week, the Norwegian has a six-shot advantage at East Lake heading into the final round. 

It will take something special from the chasing pack to stop him. Will that happen? Tune in to find out...

FINAL ROUND TEE TIMES

We've got a few early starters out on the course, but here's a look at when the big contenders get underway for their final round.

Times listed in EDT (BST):

• 12.56pm (5.56pm) -  Adam Schenk, Rory McIlroy
• 1.07pm (6.07pm) -  Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay
• 1.18pm (6.18pm) -  Wyndham Clark, Jon Rahm
• 1.29pm (6.29pm) -  Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa
• 1.40pm (6.40pm) -  Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele

DIFFICULT EARLY SCORING

Scoring was tricky yesterday and the early signs from those already on the course is that we could be in for similarly tricky scorings.

14 players are out on the course but just two are under par currently for their rounds...

IS XANDER THE MAN TO CHASE DOWN HOVLAND?

If you could have picked someone charged with catching Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele may just be that person.

The American has five top-ten finishes and one victory at this course in his six appearances at the tournament. As well as that, he's yet to shoot over par at East Lake. 

Could he cause a shock here today? A reminder that Scottie Scheffler led by this exact amount heading into the final round last year...and ended up falling short to an electric round from Rory McIlroy.

BIG PAYDAY FOR THE WINNER

It's the biggest purse on the PGA Tour, so here's a quick reminder of the eye-watering sums of money that the top-ten players are set to take home today:

• 1 - $18,000,000
• 2 - $6,500,000
• 3 - $5,000,000
• 4 - $4,000,000
• 5 - $3,000,000
• 6 - $2,500,000
• 7 - $2,000,000
• 8 - $1,500,000
• 9 - $1,250,000
• 10 - $1,000,000

RYDER CUP PICKS TO PLAY FOR

Another strand to today's action is next month's Ryder Cup. Two names in the top five, in particular, will be looking to force the hand of US Captain Zach Johnson ahead of Marco Simone.

Collin Morikawa looks likely to get a captain's pick already but he'll be after one more big round just to make that sure.

The other is Keegan Bradley who it feels like is on the outside looking in at the minute. He's already won twice this season but may well need a big final-round showing at East Lake to make the case to Johnson for one of those six picks.

RORY MCILROY UNDERWAY

He's been struggling with a back injury all week has Rory and currently sits 11 shots back of the lead. He pulled off something magnificent this time last year but 11 shots feels even beyond his best.

He gets underway with Adam Schenk, finding the right rough with his first tee shot.

EARLY BOGEY FOR RORY

The Northern Irishman is blocked off by trees after his opening drive and can't reach the green in two. From the fairway he can't get up and down to save his par and he drops back to -8.

It's a lovely birdie, though, for his playing partner Schenk who moves into solo eighth at -10. What a season he is putting together. 

GLOVER AND HOMA INTO THE TOP TEN

A nice start for the American duo early into their final rounds. Two birdies for Glover, one for Max and the pair are both at T9 on -9.

OPENING BIRDIE FOR SCHEFFLER

Where was any of that yesterday, Scottie? The World No.1 was birdie-shy almost the entirety of Saturday but gets underway at the first on Sunday with a lovely iron approach.

He's got ten feet for birdie and this time makes no mistake. Up to -12 but plenty of work still to do. 

SCHENK HOLES OUT FROM THE FAIRWAY

Wow! What a start from Adam Schenk. It's rare that Rory McIlroy is overshadowed in a pairing but it's happening right now.

A birdie on the first is met by eagle on the third as he holes out from 137 yards on the fairway. Up to -12 and into a share of fifth for him.

He's still yet to win on the PGA Tour and that's probably unlikely to change today, but his breakthrough season continues to go from strength to strength.

6 years ago today, Adam received his PGA Tour card. Today, he is playing in the final round of the Tour Championship. I have a slew of words to share but I’ll spare you all: I’m wearing waterproof mascara today. pic.twitter.com/QuMdBmcJN7 August 27, 2023

LEADER UNDERWAY

A bit of drama before he starts as Viktor Hovland and his caddie appear to take a wrong turn and have to lightly jog to make the first tee on time.

All's well that ends well, though, as he finds the fairway with his drive. Schauffele, too, finds the short stuff as he looks to chase down the Norwegian. 

EARLY BIRDIES FLOWING

Well, I thought it might be similar to yesterday conditions-wise but perhaps not. Scheffler rolls in another birdie - his second of the round - to get to -13 and he's joined there by Adam Schenk whose marvellous front nine gets even better with a 31-foot birdie to move four under thru four.

Morikawa gets off and running with birdie at the first to move to -14 but Keegan Bradley doesn't appear to have got the memo as he makes an opening-hole bogey to drop back to -12.

HOVLAND MAKES AN EARLY MOVE

Just relentless golf from Viktor Hovland who pours in a 15-footer on the first for a birdie to move to -21. He's going to be difficult to catch if he keeps making birdies look as easy as that.

But credit to Schauffele. A beauty of an iron into the green for the American who also makes birdie to keep some sort of pressure on the leader. Up to -15 for him.

PLAY SUSPENDED

Well, not the news we were hoping for. Just as we were getting started, play has been suspended due to "inclement weather." Looks like storms are projected in the area but hopefully East Lake can avoid the worst of it.

The final round of the TOUR Championship was suspended at 1:57 p.m. ET due to inclement weather. August 27, 2023

Some thunder being picked up by the TV cameras. It looks like this delay could be a bit lengthier than anyone initially anticipated. 

Anyway, lets take the opportunity to look back on what golf we have seen so far today and the story right now is Adam Schenk. Five holes, three birdies, one eagle. Not bad. 

Here's a look at that eagle - a hole-out from the fairway:

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) A photo posted by on

RAIN BEGINNING TO CLEAR

No news as of yet regards a restart but signs the rain and clouds appear to be slowing moving away from East Lake. 

There's not a lot of wind out on the course so it may take it's time but hopefully we aren't too far away from getting the golfers back on the course. 

OVER IN EUROPE...

A few signs of fans but still no signs of players so lets take another look back at some other action from today which happened in Europe at the Czech Masters on the DP World Tour.

If today is a big day for the likes of Bradley and Morikawa to force their way into a US captain's pick for the Ryder Cup, then it was no different over in Prague.

A host of big names such as Ludvig Aberg, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adrian Meronk, Yannik Paul and Bob MacIntyre were in contention as they looked to make their case to Luke Donald for a captain's pick onto Team Europe. 

Click here to find out how they got on.

PLAY TO RESUME AT 15:50 ET (20:50 BST)

Finally some good news and a time for the resumption of play. Given the length of the delay, the players are being allowed some time on the range first but it looks like we are looking at a 3:50pm ET restart. 

For the folks in the UK, that's 20:50pm so just over half an hour away.

Update from Atlanta: the range is opening at 3:15 and play expected to resume at 3:50 pm ET. August 27, 2023

PLAY TO RESUME - HOVLAND LEADS BY SIX

We're about 15 minutes away from play resuming so a small reminder of how things stand:

Hovland remains six shots ahead on -21 after a first-hole birdie but faces a putt to save his par on the second. His closest chaser, Schauffele, also made birdie on the first and has a look at birdie on 2 to move up to -15. 

Further back on -14 is Morikawa, while Schenk and Scheffler have each started excellently with the pair sat on -13 and -4 and -2 for their final rounds respectively so far.

PLAY BACK UNDERWAY

The horn goes and we're back just under two hours later! 

A big putt first up for Hovland to save his par on the second...right in the heart of it. No signs of rust from the Norwegian after the time waiting around. Schauffele pushes his birdie putt right off the hole and walks of for a par. 

There was a chance of a two-shot swing there but, in the end, it all remains the same. Hovland leads by six.

CLOSE SHAVE FOR SCHEFFLER

Scottie was getting hot before the weather interval and his iron's are dialled right out the gates with a nice approach into the fifth. From ten feet, though, he can't convert and he remains eight back at -13. 

SCHAUFFELE CUTS LEAD TO FIVE

He just loves this course, does Xander. Another sterling iron into the third green gives him a look at birdie and the American makes no mistake.

He's up to -16 and now just five back of Hovland after he misses his look at birdie. No cause for concern...yet.

SCHENK INTO THE TOP THREE

Not even the near two-hour rain delay has dampened Adam Schenk's spirits today as his magical front nine just keeps getting better. Another birdie pours into the hole at 6 and he's now -5 for his round, 14-under-par for the tournament and into a tie for third! 

BIRDIES FOR HOVLAND AND SCHAUFFELE

The rain from earlier may have made these greens slightly more receptive, and the final pair are putting that two the test. Schauffele's approach into the fourth is great. Hovland's is even better, almost threatening to slam dunk into the hole. 

It's two relatively short birdie efforts...and they both convert. We started the day with a few in contention but this is fast becoming a two horse race - Schauffele hunting down Hovland. 

Elsewhere, there is a bogey for Morikawa who drops back to -13 and leaves Schenk in solo third. That's a tasty payday if he can stay there.

KEEGAN BRADLEY DROPS BACK 

Not the round the American would have wanted to put together today. His second bogey of the day on the front nine and he's now two-over-par for his round and back at -11.

MORE PUTTING WOES FOR SCHEFFLER 

A couple of missed opportunities early in the round for the American and he's now in trouble on the seventh with his ball running through to the back of the green. It's a tricky two-putt but that becomes all the more difficult when the World No.1's first effort comes up way short before drifting down the slope and away from the hole.

In the end, it's a three-putt bogey and he's now ten back of Hovland at -12.

HOVLAND RESTORES SIX SHOT LEAD

It's difficult to put into words the level of ball striking Hovland is displaying right now. The greens are receptive, sure, but, he's got another great look at birdie after a sumptuous iron into the fifth. 

No problem for the Norwegian, who rolls it in for back-to-back birdies to get to -23. 

And the pressure tells on Schauffele who misses his birdie putt just prior. He's been great so far today as well but he's back to how he started the day - six back of the leader. 

PLENTY FALLING BY THE WAYSIDE

This truly has become a two-horse race now. A bogey for Rahm after finding the greenside bunker. A bogey for Morikawa after a short miss. And a bogey, too, for Schenk after a clumsy three putts.

Schauffele the only one standing, trying to chase down Hovland.

DOUBLE BOGEY FOR SCHEFFLER 

Well Scottie wasn't likely to win today but he's now just losing money quickly on these greens. 

The first putt on the eighth is tricky - slow at first before picking up speed - and Scheffler races it by. The par putt is missed...and so is the even shorter bogey putt. Double-bogey six and the World No. 10 is back to -10 where he started the tournament. 

MORE BIRDIES FOR HOVLAND AND SCHAUFFELE

The two players in the final group find the exact same greenside bunker left of the green with their approaches in. 

The rain we've had earlier in the day makes this a far less intimidating proposition for these two on the par-five sixth and they make no mistake, up and down for a pair of birdies and on they go, storming further ahead of the field. 

BOGEYS FOR SCHENK AND RAHM

Schauffele and Hovland look like they are playing a different course at the minute as more players drop shots around them. Rahm gets himself in trouble off the tee and can only hack out of the fairway bunker. In the end, he does well to just drop one shot. 

Schenk, too, drops one as he makes the turn after another three putt on the tenth. 

SCHAUFFELE BACK WITHIN FIVE

Everyone else has vacated from the chase but Xander Schauffele is going nowhere. An aggressive tee shot allows him a wedge into the green and he makes no mistake with the birdie putt. He's -5 thru eight holes and up to -19.

Hovland taps in for his part to remain at -24, but his lead now drops back to five.

MORIKAWA MAKES THE TURN WITH BIRDIE 

He's no longer fighting for the overall title, but there's plenty of money on offer for any of the players that can make a move up the leaderboard. After a quiet few holes, Morikawa bounces back with birdie on the par-three ninth to move alongside Clark on -13.

And he's joined back on 13-under-par by Adam Schenk who pours in another birdie from over 20 feet. He's back into a tie for third. 

HOVLAND SAVES PAR AS FINAL PAIR MAKE THE TURN 

Plenty of work to do for Hovland as his tee shot into the ninth comes up right at the bottom of a huge slope. It's 50ft long but with about 40ft worth of left-to-right break. 

The Norwegian gives it a good go but his effort comes up just short. It's a slightly testy downhiller for par...but he makes no mistake. Schauffele gives his putt a great roll but it just evades the hole. A great effort but the lead remains at five for Hovland. 

CLARK MAKING A MOVE

He wasn't particularly in contention at the start of the day but a three-under-par round has this year's US Open champion up into solo third at -14. 

That could be worth a few dollars if he can stay there come the end of play. 

DOUBLE BOGEY FOR SCHENK

Oooh, that's not ideal. Adam Schenk goes from bunker to bunker on the 14th before a costly three-putt leaves him with a double-bogey six! From a tie for fourth down into seventh at -11 for the American. 

SCHAUFFELE CUTS LEAD TO FOUR 

Xander is running out of holes but by no means giving up the chase. He hits a solid iron into the 11th but is under pressure as Hovland stuffs one in close.

No nerves from the American, though, as he gets the perfect roll on his right-to-left putt, sending it right into the heart of the cup for his eighth birdie of the day. He's up to -20 now.

Hovland with a chance to maintain his five-shot lead...but he can't. Perhaps the first signs of nerves from the Norwegian? Seven holes to go but his lead is now four. 

RORY MAKING A MOVE

Even a bad back can't deter the Northern Irishman. He loves it here at East Lake and is finishing in style here on Sunday. A divine tee shot into the 15th brings him his third birdie in four holes and up to T4 at -13.

Schenk, his playing partner, bounces back nicely after that double bogey with a birdie, too, while Clark further improves his position in third with another birdie to get to -15.

BACK-TO-BACK BIRDIES FOR SCHAUFFELE, LEAD NOW JUST THREE

Hovland is in a small spot of bother off the 12th tee as his ball settles into the fairway bunker. Not to worry, he simply sticks it in close and gives himself another look at birdie. 

Schauffele ramps up the pressure with another stellar iron into the green just inside Hovland's effort. And the pressure tells.

Hovland's effort goes by while Schauffele's putt drops for another birdie. In an instant, the hole is now three. 

Some late drama perhaps?

BOGEYS FOR CLARK AND MCILROY 

These two spent the final day at LACC battling it out for the US Open a few months back and they deservedly have their names right up at the top of the leaderboard after a pair of fine seasons. 

They've both made nice moves today but now Clark and McIlroy falter somewhat with bogeys, moving them back to -14 and -12 respectively.

HOVLAND PAR KEEPS HIM THREE AHEAD

Problems off the tee for Schauffele who goes way left over the trees. He recovers nicely to make a par but it's advantage Hovland after he sticks one in close on 13.

It's a good roll...but just catches the lip and rolls by quite some distance! Not the tap-in he would have wanted but it's calmy negotiated by the Norwegian back up the slope to make par and remain three ahead. 

We're supposed to still have a month until the Ryder Cup but this feels like a proper Sunday matchplay singles classic. Hovland 3UP with five to play.

BIRDIE FOR RORY, BOGEY FOR COLLIN 

The two swap places with McIlroy moving into solo fourth after a bounce-back birdie on the penultimate hole. Morikawa, meanwhile, serves up a three-putt at just the wrong time to drop back to -12 and a tie for fifth alongside Cantlay.

Schenk was at -12 but he's now further back at -10 after his second double bogey in four holes at 17.

HUGE PAR SAVE FROM HOVLAND ON 14

The first real sign of emotion from Hovland all day as he lets out an almighty fist pump having saved par! His second shot came up short and the chip onto the green was poor, but the putt...nerveless.

He maintains his three-shot lead with Schauffele making par and that feels like a big moment in this closing stretch. 

What a putt!Viktor Hovland comes up clutch to save par @TOURChamp 💪He leads by 3 with 4 to play. pic.twitter.com/LGGFxLRAUb August 27, 2023

DOUBLE BOGEY FOR MORIKAWA 

The American isn't closing in style and a mistake out of the greenside bunker from the par-three 15th leads to a double bogey and three dropped shots in his last two holes. 

Three-over-par today. Not his finest golf. 

HOVLAND LEADS BY THREE WITH THREE TO PLAY

The par-three 15th next for the final pair and they both safely carry it beyond the flag to give themselves outside looks for birdie. 

Hovland is further away, and it's a big right-to-lefter which he nurses down to the hole nicely. A solid par for him. Schauffele needs to be aggressive and try steal one here...but it's on the wrong line right from the start. 

No harm with a par but he's only got three holes left now and still trails by three. 

MCILROY IN THE CLUBHOUSE

Rory ends with a birdie on the par-five last to get up to -14 for the tournament and safely inside the top-five after a four-under-par 66. That's a great performance given the problems with his back that plagued his first two rounds. 

A great end to another remarkably consistent season for him. His playing partner, Schenk misses out on a birdie and currently sits at T8 which also represents a fantastic season for the up-and-coming American.

Rory McIlroy: 10 consecutive top-10 finishes, the longest streak of his PGA Tour career August 27, 2023

HOVLAND MAKES BIRDIE TO GO FOUR AHEAD WITH TWO REMAINING

What a couple of holes from Viktor Hovland. A huge par save on the previous hole is followed by a superb iron shot into the 16th green to give him a great look at birdie.

Schauffele has a go for birdie before that but his effort comes up short and Hovland takes full advantage, rolling his 10-foot putt down the slope and into the cup for his first birdie of the back nine to move to -25.

He now leads by four with two left and that, should be that.

BACK-TO-BACK BIRDIES AS HOVLAND EXTENDS LEAD TO FIVE

Simply relentless. It looked at one stage that this might go right down to the wire. 

Not any more. 

Hovland rolls in another birdie on the 17th and now, he heads the 18th tee with almost the same size lead as he started the day with. Schauffele sees his effort roll past and he settles for a par. 

He's played his part and made this final round a real test for the Norwegian, but the task was just too much and he's ran out of steam on these final holes. 

UP THE LAST THEY GO...

Safely on the fairway for Hovland on the par-five 18th and he can now enjoy this final work. His work is done and he will surely be your 2023 FedEx Cup champion.

VIKTOR HOVLAND WINS THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP!

Schauffele second comes up short of the green but it's a lovely up and down to find yet another birdie. A final-round 62 is some achievement and he's pushed Hovland all the way today.

The Norwegian's second shot also comes up short, rolling back into the sand. Can he get up and down for a final birdie?

You bet he can. Remarkable golf from Hovland who himself shots a seven-under-par 63 to win the Tour Championship by five shots and claim the FedEx Cup for the first time! 

Viktor Hovland is the 2023 #FedExCup champion!This win @TOURChamp is his third victory of the season 🏆 pic.twitter.com/GRuHFLzDqT August 27, 2023

Simply remarkable golf from Hovland today. We saw last year from Scottie Scheffler how tricky it can be to close out these tournaments but the Norwegian was simply faultless and refused to take a backwards step.

A lot of credit, too, must go to Xander Schauffele who continues his magnificent record here with a final-round 62. He fell five shots short in the end but it felt and was a lot closer than that for large parts of the final round.

THANKS FOR TUNING IN!

Well, what a way to end the season. I didn't expect as entertaining a final round as that but thanks to Schauffele and Hovland we were treated to a real thriller.

Thanks for tuning in, until next time!

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Viktor Hovland stays hot, wins Tour Championship, FedEx Cup

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ATLANTA -- When Oklahoma State golf coach Alan Bratton was recruiting Viktor Hovland in 2015, he remembers Hovland telling him that he couldn't wait to get to the United States and hit balls off grass.

"I remember thinking that was a phrase I'd never burped out of my mouth," Bratton said. "I couldn't relate to it."

Bratton didn't grow up trying to play an outdoor sport in Oslo, Norway.

The Scandinavian country known more for downhill skiing and snowboarding is now home to the hottest golfer on the planet after Hovland won the Tour Championship by 5 strokes over Xander Schauffele at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday. Hovland carded a 7-under 63 in the final round.

Hovland started the staggered-scoring event at 8 under and shot 19 under on his own to finish 27 under. He was 11 shots better than U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark , who finished third, and 13 better than Rory McIlroy , who was fourth.

It was Hovland's second straight victory after he captured the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields, Illinois, last week. His latest victory came with the FedEx Cup and an $18 million bonus. Hovland, 24, earned $21.6 million over the past two weeks.

"It's been a great year," Hovland said. "I feel like I've taken a lot of steps this season, contending in more major championships. I finally won in the U.S. I won a big tournament, Jack [Nicklaus '] event. And honestly, after that, I felt like I've gotten so much better, and it was very pleasing to see. Obviously, the last couple weeks have just superseded that. It's been pretty surreal.

"Obviously, you dream about it, but these things happen when you don't really expect them."

Hovland joins the likes of past FedEx Cup champions McIlroy, Tiger Woods , Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson .

Hovland's path to East Lake Golf Club was one of the most unlikely. He didn't start playing golf until he was 11. His father, Harald, worked as an engineer for one year in St. Louis and brought his son home a set of clubs.

Hovland practiced at an indoor golf facility and played outdoors when there wasn't snow on the ground. There are about six to eight hours of daylight during the winter months, and Hovland passed time by watching instructional swing lessons on YouTube. The good news: There are about 18 to 19 hours of daylight during the height of the summer. Hovland didn't leave the golf course until after 10 p.m. on most summer days.

"I would take every single day very seriously because every day I had home in the summer I couldn't just waste away the day, because in a couple months, it's winter, and I can't play outside," Hovland said. "So every single day I tried to get its most out of, and I think that really helped me."

Bratton got his first look at Hovland while he was watching future Oklahoma State player Kristoffer Ventura competing in the European Boys' Team Championships in Scotland in 2013. Hovland was two years younger and wasn't one of Norway's best players.

Bratton saw enough talent in Hovland to offer him a scholarship in 2015, and Hovland signed with the Cowboys shortly after visiting campus. In 2018, Hovland helped the Cowboys win a team national championship. That summer, he won the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Hovland was the low amateur in the 2019 Masters then the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in his final tournament as an amateur. His 4-under total of 280 over 72 holes broke Nicklaus' U.S. Open scoring total for an amateur set at Cherry Hills in 1960.

Less than a year later, after earning his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour, Hovland picked up his first victory at the 2020 Puerto Rico Open, making a 30-foot birdie on the final hole to win. He became the first player from Norway to win on the PGA Tour. Less than 10 months later, he made a 12-foot birdie to defeat Aaron Wise in the Mayakoba Golf Classic.

Hovland's victory at Puerto Rico taught him something else about his game: He needed to develop a better short game.

"I suck at chipping," Hovland said at the time. "That's something I know I'm going to have to improve if I want to play my best at this level."

Since bursting on tour, Hovland has been regarded as one of the best ball strikers in the world.

"He's just so straight. He's just so accurate," England's Matt Fitzpatrick said. "Tee to green is phenomenal. Every time he hits a shot -- it just stupid as sounds -- the ball's always going forward. There's not really much shape on it. It's just always going forward, and I think that's impressive."

But what wasn't impressive until recently was Hovland's short game. During the 2020-21 season, he ranked in the top 10 on tour in strokes gained: tee to green, off the tee and total. He was 124th in strokes: gained around the green. Hovland was 191st in that statistic last season.

"His short game [trouble] was overblown," Bratton said. "When he was younger and during his time here, his short game wasn't awful. It wasn't his strength. It got exposed a little bit out there on the PGA Tour. He was never very good from the rough. Going against the best players in the world, you can't afford to have a weakness. When that's all anyone wants to talk about, then it can become something bigger than it needs to be."

To Hovland's credit, he devoted more time to chipping. He has been working with short-game specialist Joe Mayo. Hovland has been using the AimPoint putting technique to help him read greens better since 2020; developed by Mark Sweeney, it uses physics to help players read the slope of greens.

"He's been awesome," Hovland said of Mayo. "I like just picking people's brains, and he's an interesting brain to pick. He might be one of the only golf instructors that never watches golf. So when he came on board, he had no idea how I played, what I was doing, what it looked like. So he kind of had a fresh set of eyes. Yeah, he's just brought a lot of math and physics to my golf game, and we've just applied that, put a lot of hours in -- and funny enough, it works."

Hovland won twice more this season, at the Memorial in June when he beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff in a designated event then last week's playoff event. He also has won twice on the DP World Tour. Since 2020, only Jon Rahm has won more times combined on both tours with 10 victories.

At East Lake Golf Club, everything came together for Hovland. He led the field in strokes gained: off the tee (4.814), was fifth in approach (4.730), 11th around the green (1.103) and fourth in putting (3.387).

When did Hovland realize winning a Tour Championship might be possible?

"When I start to see the short game kind of come around and I believe I have all the shots," Hovland said. "I just saw the shots that I was able to pull off in tournaments and in highly stressful situations. I coupled that with the course management stuff and just the attitude, just handling bad bounces, handling bogeys, handling bad shots. Just those three aspects combined, when I started to see that, I wasn't stressed when I showed up to a golf tournament or a golf course. It was like, 'OK, whatever happens, happens. I might play bad, and that's OK.'

"Even today, it wasn't like, 'Man, I hope the double cross with the driver doesn't show up today. I hope I don't three-putt today. I hope I don't chunk the chips today.' You know, that might happen, but it's OK. I think just as soon as I made that mindset change, everything started to kind of come together."

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2023 Tour Championship leaderboard: Collin Morikawa tied on top breaking Tigers Woods' record at East Lake

Moriakwa's 125 through 36 holes is two strokes better than woods' previous record mark in atlanta.

Collin Morikawa is off to a record start at East Lake Golf Club, following his Thursday 61 with a Friday 64 to shoot 125 through the first two rounds of the 2023 Tour Championship. That mark bests the prior best set by Tiger Woods, who shot 127 through 36 holes in 2007.

Morikawa remains tied atop the Tour Championship leaderboard with Viktor Hovland, who was similarly on fire in Atlanta on Friday. Hovland, last week's BMW Championship winner, once again utilized a back-nine sizzler to pull ahead of the competition and into pole position alongside Morikawa at 16 under as the weekend begins at East Lake.

Rattling off four straight back-nine birdies and needing only 30 strokes across his final holes, Hovland remained on top with Morikawa with the duo now sitting two strokes ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who entered the Tour Championship two shots in front of Hovland in an advantage provided by the FedEx Cup standings.

With $18 million awaiting the eventual winner, there is still plenty of golf left to play entering Moving Day. Keegan Bradley (-13), Xander Schauffele (-12), Jon Rahm (-12) and Rory McIlroy (-10) all sit within six shots of the lead with 36 holes left to play.

If Hovland is to become the first player since Patrick Cantlay in 2021 -- fourth overall -- to pull off the BMW Championship-Tour Championship double, he will need to putt like he did Friday. Ranking 29th in strokes gained putting in Round 1 -- besting only Scheffler -- Hovland found his groove in Round 2 gaining nearly three strokes on the green and ranking first in the field. He has proven to have the complete game and a champion's mettle, but so have his American counterparts as the list of potential FedEx Cup winners has shortened. 

Morikawa made his move Thursday, and while he matched Hovland with a 64 on Friday, Hovland finished hotter on the day with a back-nine 30. Carding a bogey-free 6-under 64 to sit at 16 under, Morikawa finds himself needing to match the hottest player in the world stroke for stroke if he is to make history and become the first FedEx Cup champion to start the week nine off the pace. 

Meanwhile, Scheffler has been flawless since his triple bogey on the 15th hole in Round 1, playing his next 21 holes in bogey free fashion at 6 under. The FedEx Cup leader (at the tournament's start) and No. 1 golfer in the world is within striking distance of retaking the lead entering Saturday's third round.

The leaders

T1. Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa (-16): If it felt like déjà vu, that's because it was déjà vu. Hovland's back-nine 30 looked awfully similar to his back-nine 28 at Olympia Fields from last Sunday. He began the homeward half with a par before carding scores of 3-3-3-2-3 to speed past his counterparts. Not only did Hovland claim the lead at the halfway point, he effectively trimmed the potential names engraved on the FedEx Cup trophy. For much of the afternoon, the leaderboard was packed like sardines. Hovland has since cracked open the tin and made it so those at the top have plenty of room to swim.

The contenders

3. Scottie Scheffler (-14) 4. Keegan Bradley (-13) T5. Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm (-12) 7. Rory McIlroy (-10)

Outside the mess on the par-5 finisher, Scheffler's second round was what we expected from the world No. 1 this week. Getting around the par 70 without a blemish and adding five birdies along the way, Scheffler remains in the thick of it at the halfway point. Like Hovland, Scheffler was much better on the greens Friday gaining nearly two strokes with his gamer. If he putts like that, he should win the FedEx Cup and make up for last year's blunder. However, it's a big if.

Xander's love affair with East Lake

Stop, if you have heard this before: Schauffele is in contention at East Lake. The winner of the Tour Championship in 2017 -- the final year of the shadow leaderboard -- Schauffele now eyes his first FedEx Cup crown. In his 26 rounds at East Lake, Schauffele has shot under par 23 times (including a 64 Friday) and not once has carded an over-par round.

"It's just you got to sort of plot around the property well and if you can get your putter going, the greens are so pure you feel like you can start rolling anything in," said Schauffele. "So, it must just fit my eye. I'm not really sure. But, yeah, I mean, I played pretty well around the property and I'm going to need some more of that magic here on the weekend."

Rory's back still an issue

The three-time FedEx Cup champion looked somewhat looser Friday compared to Thursday, but McIlroy continues to struggle with his back. A 3-under 67 has him on the periphery of contention at 10 under, six adrift of the leaders. However, his eyes may already be on the Ryder Cup despite confirming he will be playing in the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour before the action in Rome. 

"I would rather it pop up now than in three or four weeks' time," said McIlroy. "Yeah, again, I've managed it well and I think I did well to get through yesterday. I've got through another day. Hopefully it feels a bit better over the weekend"

Rick Gehman and Patrick McDonald recap the second round of the Tour Championship. Viktor Hovland keeps rolling, Scottie Scheffler bounces back and much more. It's storylines, scorecards and betting favorites. Follow & listen to The First Cut on  Apple Podcasts  and  Spotify .

2023 Tour Championship updated odds and picks

• Viktor Hovland: 17/10
• Collin Morikawa: 23/10
• Scottie Scheffler: 33/10
• Jon Rahm: 10-1
• Xander Schauffele: 14-1
• Rory McIlroy: 22-1
• Keegan Bradley: 25-1

These are the only seven players listed below 150-1. The top three on the board command the most respect, and rightfully so. I think you can cross off Bradley and McIlroy, due to his health, making this a five-man race for the crown. Let's take a shot on Schauffele at 14-1 to track down the three-headed monster.

Rory wraps up

It is a round of 3-under 67 for the three-time champ, and he will head into the weekend at 10 under. It is likely he finds himself a touchdown behind Hovland or whoever claims the 36-hole lead, but the main concern has to be his back and if he can stretch it even further.

Hovland makes his move

The Norwegian remains en fuego and now holds the lead at 15 under. The Americans trail by one and separation has officially been made as the next closest player is four strokes behind Hovland. It is likely Hovland, Scottie or Collin will be your FedEx Cup champ.

Leaderboard beginning to separate

Three young guns now have a two-stroke lead over the rest of the field with Collin Morikawa leading the way at 14 under. Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler find themselves at 13 under before Jon Rahm and co. at 11 under. If the three at the top can finish strong, they could conceivably trim the number of potential winners to 5-6.

POY conversation heating up

They are running 2-3 behind Collin Morikawa, and they have been the best players all year. Scottie Scheffler stands at 12 under and one behind is Jon Rahm at 11 under after starting his back nine in style. The Spaniard missed a 5-foot chance to get to 12, but he now heads to the difficult 14th looking to hold serve before a potential fast finish.

Morikawa marches ahead

A birdie on the difficult par-4 8th has Collin Morikawa at 3 under for the day and 13 under for the tournament. He leads by one over Scottie Scheffler and could be on the move as he heads to the difficult ninth. This is the most separation we have seen today as congestion is the name of the game at East Lake.

Hovland cards first bogey of the week

It took him more than 20 holes, but Viktor Hovland has finally dropped a shot and returns to -11. He sits one behind Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler and is joined by Russell Henley and Keegan Bradley. If either of the latter two win, would they garner a U.S. pick for the Ryder Cup? I lean no despite what would be a great season.

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2023 Tour Championship leaderboard: Viktor Hovland dominates to hoist FedEx Cup after second straight victory

Hovland pulled off the rare bmw championship, tour championship double to claim an $18 million grand prize.

The summer heat wave sweeping across the United States has a new name: Viktor Hovland. Running away from the field in record fashion at the 2023 Tour Championship, Hovland finished the week at 27 under and five strokes clear of Xander Schauffele to claim his first FedEx Cup.

Beginning the week at 8 under, Hovland was the top name on both the official leaderboard and the shadow leaderboard (which the Official World Golf Rankings recognizes) as his 72-hole total of 19-under 261 matched that of Schauffele's.

The young Norwegian became just the fifth man to claim the final two legs of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. In the process, he cashed a pair of checks amounting to $21.6 million, $18 million of which came this week for winning the FedEx Cup.

Hovland did most of the heavy lifting early in the week, but the laidback Sunday stroll most envisioned was anything but stress-free. Starting off the final round with a six-stroke lead, the 25-year-old was faced with immediate stress as a two-hour weather delay arrived just as he was lining up a 15-foot par putt on No. 2.

While all 29 of Hovland's counterparts were busy on the driving range in the lead up to the restart, he was hanging out on the putting green. Practicing a left-to-right tickler, Hovland's added reps paid dividends as his successful conversion for par was met with an unsuccessful birdie bid from Schauffele.

Schauffele, the unofficial king of East Lake Golf Club, mustered together a mighty charge. Five birdies on his front nine saw the 2017 Tour Championship winner turn in 30, the lowest front-nine score of the week. Hovland's lead foot was heavy on the gas pedal in lockstep with his playing competitor as Schauffele's front-nine heater was only able to trim the edge to five.

Avid golf fans know a tournament doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday. Take a look at Hovland seven days ago, and birdies from the blade of Schauffele on the 11th and 12th cut the front runner's lead to three and pumped blood back into the heart of the postseason finale.

Heartbeats of spectators and players began to pulse even faster as pressure ramped up and shots were magnified. Right when it looked like Hovland's margin would get cut once again, the man who has done no wrong the last week found an extra gear and let out a hearty fist pump when his par putt from 23 feet -- his longest made putt of the week -- found the bottom of the cup on the 14th.

The championship was put on ice with that conversion, and Hovland's ascension to the top of the sport was official roughly an hour later. Complete throughout his game and throughout his mind, Hovland proved yet again to be a quick study and aced this year's final with flying colors. Grade: A+

Here are the grades for the rest of the leaderboard at the 2023 Tour Championship.  

2. Xander Schauffele (-22): Take away Hovland, and Schauffele wins the FedEx Cup running away. That pretty much sums up his season as he enjoyed the best statistical year of his career but walks away without a win. He ran into a bulldozer at the Wells Fargo Championship, and the same was true this week. Schauffele continued to be one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour in 2023 as he racked up 17 top 20s in 23 starts and did not miss a single cut. Grade: A+

3. Wyndham Clark (-16): What a year for Clark. A first-time PGA Tour winner turned major champion turned top-three finisher in the FedEx Cup. His rise to the upper echelon of the game has been a joy to watch, and it begs the question: What will next year have in store? Enjoying one of the five best seasons on the PGA Tour this year, Clark proved to have the game and mettle in the big moment. He will head to Rome as one of the many rookies on the U.S. Ryder Cup team where this new affinity for the bright lights will be needed for the American side. Grade: A

4. Rory McIlroy (-14): The back injury took center stage at East Lake for the three-time FedEx Cup champion. Unable to hit any shots leading up to the tournament, McIlroy did well to get around East Lake in even par Thursday and remain within three strokes of the lead after beginning at 7 under. However, without the vintage McIlroy firepower, that was the closest he would get to the top as he ultimately became a non-factor in the championship. It would have been a nice bow on a stellar summer that featured 10 straight top-10 finishes dating back to the PGA Championship. Grade: A-

T6. Collin Morikawa (-11): He clipped Tiger Woods' 36-hole scoring record by two at East Lake, but that was as good as it got for the two-time major champion. He would have become the first player to start from 1 under to win the FedEx Cup and would have done so in a season where he once again was winless. It has now been more than two years since Morikawa has won on the PGA Tour, but there should not be any cause for concern. This season marked the best of his career in terms of total strokes gained and strokes gained around the green. Grade: B+

T6. Scottie Scheffler (-11): The world No. 1 entered the week atop the FedEx Cup standings only to relinquish his edge with a poor opening round. Scheffler did well to bounce back Friday -- when he gained nearly two strokes on the greens -- but the putting woes lurked and spelled his demise ending the week dead last with the putter. This year had all the makings of one of the all-time seasons on the PGA Tour as Scheffler led in strokes gained tee to green, strokes gained off the tee and strokes gained approach. He was only able to notch a pair of victories when a minimum of five felt certain as his 145th-ranked flat stick proved to be a constant hindrance. He became the first player in the staggered start era to begin the week with the lead and finish outside the top five. Grade: C

T18. Jon Rahm (-7): The Spaniard led the FedEx Cup for 30 consecutive weeks, entered the postseason in pole position but stumbled when it mattered most. Forgettable outings at the St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship put Rahm at 6 under to start the Tour Championship. He got within four at the halfway point before heading in the wrong direction on Moving Day. The big left miss was heavy on the mind of Rahm with the driver in hand and mirrored early spring troubles he endured. Despite a relatively quiet summer, Rahm should be the PGA Tour Player of the Year with a Masters title, three other victories and his runner up at The Open. Grade: C-

27. Jordan Spieth (+1): While he was lucky to qualify for the Tour Championship, the 2015 FedEx Cup champ did nothing with his good fortune. Spieth ranked outside the top half in each strokes gained category and put the finishing touches on a year that did not include a single trophy. The injuries the week of the Wells Fargo Championship sent his season into a frenzy, and not even the rollercoaster that is Spieth could get his game back on track. Grade: D

Rick Gehman is joined by Kyle Porter, Patrick McDonald and Greg DuCharme to break down Viktor Hovland's clinical performance at the Tour Championship. He is the 2023 FedEx Cup Champion. Follow & listen to The First Cut on  Apple Podcasts  and  Spotify .

Hovland up four with two to go

That will do it. Viktor Hovland birdies the 16th to get to 25 under and four clear of Schauffele. Xander did his best to make this thing interesting, but the par save from Hovland on the 14th really put it on ice.

Huge save for Hovland

That was the longest putt Hovland has converted all week, and it came at a momentous time. Jarring a 23-foot par save on the 14th after a poor chip, Hovland maintained his three-stroke lead with four holes to play. The Norwegian flashes a fist pump just as it seems like things were going the other way.

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Rory's emotions more compelling than his golf

Ranking The Open field from 1-24

Predictions, expert picks for The Open

Using trends to pick winner at Troon

Five sleepers who can win The Open

Round 1 tee times, pairings for Open Championship

Tiger: Why I turned down Ryder Cup captaincy

Tiger pops back at Monty over retirement talk

2024 Open TV schedule, complete coverage guide

2024 Open odds: Scheffler, McIlroy top favorites to win

11 - 14 Jul 2024

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2024 Scottish Open scores, takeaways: Justin Thomas flirts with course record to take lead after Round 1

I t is fitting during a week where a lot of the discussion has been about Ryder Cup captain's picks and whether the United States got them correct last year in Rome that one of those captain's picks, Justin Thomas, went out and shot one of his best rounds all year at the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club.

J.T. posted an 8-under 62 -- one off the course record of 61, which is held by multiple players -- to lead Sungjae Im by one and everyone else by two or more after 18 holes of play in North Berwick, Scotland. It was an approach play bonanza for Thomas, who gained nearly three shots on the field in that category and had eight birdies in the process.

"I'm confident when I get in that mode," said Thomas. "I feel like, obviously, this is as easy as you're going to get a links golf course weather-wise and conditions. When you drive it well like I did for the most part today, you have a lot of short clubs and I see nothing but the pin. You have opportunities to get the ball close with some slopes, but if I have a good number, for the most part, I'm trying to figure out how I can hit it as close as possible. I'm not scared to do so.

"So I just kind of try to keep the pedal down, but it's also something that I definitely had to learn, I feel like."

Let's take a closer look at his round in context, who's chasing him and how this could play out over the next several days. 

The leaders

1. Justin Thomas (-8)

2. Sungjae Im (-7)

This is the first time Thomas has led after any round of a PGA Tour event since winning the 2022 PGA Championship , and his struggles since have been well-documented. What has been less well-documented, however, is the fact that he's been playing tremendous golf for much of 2024.

While he's not quite back to the 2017-2022 Thomas, he's certainly way ahead of last year's version. Thomas has finished in the top 10 in three of his last six starts and has gained strokes from tee to green in nine of his last 10 tournaments.

The major championship play has still not been where he wants it, but the trajectory he's on is excellent. 

The other thing is that he's been terrible at Open Championships in his career. And while the Renaissance Club does not produce a traditional Open Championship-like test, it's intriguing that he's playing well here so far. I suspect it's because the test is more aerial, where Thomas seems to thrive. How that plays out not only the rest of this week but next week at Royal Troon as well will be a key storyline. 

Other contenders

T3. Maximilian Kieffer, Haotong Li, Thomas Detry, Ludvig Aberg, Justin Lower (-6)

T8. Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Corey Conners, Davis Thompson, Alex Noren, Alex Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa (-5)

There are a shocking number of golfers -- 20 total -- at 5 or 6 under after the first round, but these are the most prominent names. The one that stands out is Morikawa, who has probably been playing the best golf of anyone who is not being regularly talked about of anyone in the world. 

Morikawa has not finished outside the top 16 at an individual stroke play event since the Texas Open the week before the Masters. Since then, it's been almost flawless play. He has lost strokes in three strokes gained categories in eight tournaments (so 56 total categorical opportunities) since then. Three!

There has been a level of consistency there that was not present at the beginning of the season. 

It remains to be seen whether he can handle nasty weather in Scotland that sometimes rolls in, but he has been better in the wind of late, specifically at Augusta National where he finished T3 despite some of the strongest gusts that tournament has ever seen.

He is one of the three or four most intriguing storylines for me both at this event and next week at The Open. I'm not sure it will feel this way, but not winning at any point this season will probably seem like a big miss to him given the level at which he's currently playing.

1-in-10,000

When Åberg's ball hit Morikawa's on the 8th hole on Thursday in the first round, it was said on the broadcast that this was a 1-in-10,000 shot. I have no idea whether that's true, but watching it happen was certainly jarring. It also affected the leaderboard as Åberg walked away with a bogey that probably should have been a par or perhaps better. His 64 could have been something even lower.

"It's just one of them, I felt like I hit a good shot," said Åberg."It was probably going to be, what, 12 feet, something like that where Collin was. You can't see the ball, or the flagstick, from the fairway. We saw the ball shoot off to the right, and I didn't really realize what it hit.

"I've never seen it before. Probably not going to see it for a long time again, but it's just one of them."

2024 Scottish Open updated odds, picks

• Rory McIlroy: 11/2
• Justin Thomas: 11/2
• Ludvig Aberg: 13/2
• Sungjae Im: 9-1
• Collin Morikawa: 11-1
• Tommy Fleetwood: 14-1
• Thomas Detry: 18-1
• Davis Thompson: 28-1
• Corey Conners: 28-1

Given the caliber of player at the top of this board, it would be surprising if one of these golfers did not go on to win the tournament. If that's true, then I love Morikawa at 11-1, Fleetwood at 14-1 and Thompson at 28-1. It seems improbable that somebody like Thompson could win two weeks in a row, but I'm not sure the lines have caught up with his quality of play. Data Golf has him ranked as a top 20 golfer in the world right now, and honestly that might be a little bit low. 

Purse breakdown: The R&A announces record purse for The British Open Championship

The Claret Jug on display at The 151st Open Championship. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

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The PGA TOUR heads to Royal Troon, with The R&A announcing a record purse for The 152nd Open Championship, along with The Champion Golfer of the Year receiving the highest amount in the tournament's history.

The R&A announced that the total prize fund for The Open will be $17 million, a $500,000 increase from 2023.

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Harry Hall chips in for birdie from 45 feet on the 3rd playoff hole to win the ISCO Championship

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NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Harry Hall chipped in for birdie from 45 feet on the third hole of a playoff Sunday to win the ISCO Championship for his first PGA Tour title, just days before the birth of his first child.

“Due date’s Friday. She’s scheduled to induce on Tuesday just because I was at a point in the FedEx Cup where I kind of needed to play more,” Hall said about wife Jordan. “She would do anything for me. She’s a star and, hopefully, she can do whatever she wants now. I might not play next week. I probably won’t.”

The 26-year-old Englishman closed with a 3-under 69 to get into the playoff with Matt NeSmith, Pierceson Coody, Zac Blair and Rico Hoey — also all seeking their first tour victory. They finished at 22-under 266 on Keene Trace’s Champions Course in the event co-sanctioned by the European tour.

“This is an opposite-field event, but it’s still a quality field, still great players from Europe, still great players from the U.S.,” Hall said. “Just to win any event’s really tough.”

Hall scrambled for par on the par-4 18th on the first extra hole, driving well left into long grass, hitting into the front greenside bunker and blasting out to a foot. He stayed alive when NeSmith’s 8-foot birdie try slid by to the right.

“I grew up at West Cornwall Golf Club, which is basically on the beach back in Cornwall, in England,” Hall said. “We didn’t really have a driving range, all we had was a chipping green and 18 holes of golf, so I spent my life in the sand. I was really comfortable with that.”

On the next trip down 18 in the playoff, Hall, NeSmith and Coody all missed birdie putts, with NeSmith’s attempt the closest at 12 feet.

“I had two great opportunities on 18, that’s all I can ask for,” NeSmith said. “I hit two pretty good putts, just little misreads.”

Hall ended it on the 209-yard, par-3 ninth. Hitting first after all three went long into the rough, the 6-foot-4 former UNLV player got his chip from the right side to fall before NeSmith and Coody missed their attempts from behind the hole.

“Before I chipped that, I was thinking, `Phil Rowe would love for me to win a PGA Tour event by chipping it in,’” said Hall, who jumped to 79th in the FedEx Cup standings. “He was my coach in college. Just walking up to that chip I was thinking about him.”

NeSmith and Blair each shot 64, playing in back-to-back groups about two hours in front of the final pairing. Blair said he was 40 minutes down the road before turning around.

“We were like halfway to Cincinnati,” Blair said. “We were watching the coverage and kind of figured we better turn around.”

Coody, the leader after each of the first three rounds, closed with a 70. He made a 12-foot birdie putt on 18 to get into the playoff.

Hoey took a one-stroke lead into the final hole of regulation, but made a bogey after his wedge approach bounced over the green and into rocks along the bank of a pond. He shot 69.

“It kind of sucks on 18, but I hit a great shot, hit a great tee ball and hit a great second shot,” Hoey said. “Adrenaline’s pumping. I’ve never really been in that situation where it like comes down to it.”

Neal Shipley closed with a 70 to tie for for sixth at 20 under in his third PGA Tour start as a professional. He was the low amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open.

S.Y. Noh (65), Ben Taylor (65) and Sam Bairstow (70) also were 20 under.

Luke Clanton tied for 37th at 13 under after a 71. A week ago, the Florida State sophomore tied for second in the John Deere Classic to become the first amateur since 1958 to finish in the top 10 in consecutive PGA Tour-sanctioned starts.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf