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.