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Scheffler’s putter let him down late Sunday, as Hovland set an Olympia Fields course record to storm past him for the win at the BMW Championship.
Scottie Scheffler played well for most of his round Sunday at the BMW Championship. He carded a 4-under 66 to finish the tournament 15-under par. But Viktor Hovland, playing one group ahead of him, light the course on fire to shoot a course record 61 to take the title away from him.
Scheffler watched as his four-shot lead over Hovland dissipate on the back nine. Yet, the world’s No. 1 had opportunities to push for a playoff. But his putter once again let him down.
“I felt like I doubted myself a little bit on 16, and then 17 it was like — it was weird because I had a lot of those right-to-lefters today, and it seemed like I was just hitting them barely through the break,” Scheffler said after his round.
Following a badly misjudged putt on 16, Scheffler needed to sink that four-foot par putt to stay within a shot of Hovland. Instead, he pushed it right by the hole, all but ending his chances.
The 2022 Masters champion has struggled with his putter all season. That has become one of the biggest storylines in the sport, considering how much he is dominating the PGA Tour in every other aspect.
Once again, he crushed the field from tee-to-green, picking up 12.9 strokes. The second most was Russell Henley with 6.9, per CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter.
Despite losing his late lead Sunday, Scheffler still finished atop the FedEx Cup standings for 2023. That will start him at 10-under par for the Tour Championship in Atlanta next week.
Ironically, he will play alongside Hovland, who moved up to number two with the win and will start two shots back.
