Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Hovland let Schauffele get close, but not for long as the Norwegian held onto his lead to win his first Tour Championship.
ATLANTA — Viktor Hovland captured his first Tour Championship Sunday, once again putting on a clinic. He shot a final round 63 to finish at 27-under par for the win.
Hovland came into the day with a six-shot lead over Xander Schauffele, but that wouldn’t last all day. Schauffele still had some fire in him, going 7-under through 12 holes. He would finish the day with a 62, his best round at East Lake.
The 2017 Tour Championship winner kept it close, cutting the deficit to three on the back nine. It could have been two, but that’s when the Norwegian told him to hold my beer.
He sank a near 30-foot putt with tons of break to save par at the par-4 14th, his longest putt of the week.
Then on 16, he essentially ended the tournament. Hovland once again drained a lengthy putt, this time for birdie, stretching his lead back out for good.
“[I’m} just handling adversity a lot better because I believe in my game. If I hit one bad shot or make one mistake it’s not the end of the world. I keep pressing on, I keep making birdies, and suddenly we’re back in it again,” Hovland said after his round.
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy posted his second bogey-free round of the week. He made just two bogeys the entire tournament, the fewest in the field.
Hovland brought a complete game to East Lake and won his second straight playoff event.
The six-time PGA Tour winner played flawlessly, despite Schauffele’s best efforts to create some drama.
In what was a two-man show all day, The pair went out in a combined 61 strokes, setting a Tour Championship record for the fewest in a final pairing.
Hovi, as he is sometimes known, took the challenge head-on, and didn’t crack. The BMW Championship winner held firm to make a birdie on the final hole, putting a bow on his dominating performance.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
