Viktor Hovland Wins 2023 BMW Championship
Olympia Fields, Illinois – In what was one of the most electrifying come from behind wins, Viktor Hovland polishes off a final round 61 to become the 2023 BMW Championship winner. This vaults Viktor in to seventh place in the FedEx Cup standings but more importantly provides him with a better starting score at next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
This week, we saw a lot of top names brush the leaderboard. Of course, we wouldn’t expect anything less seeing as how only the top 70 players qualify for this playoff event. This is the second playoff event in FedEx Cup Playoff tournament format. Although this week 70 players are eligible, next week trims down to only the top 50 players, so every shot counts.
The second stop in this playoff format this year is the BMW Championship which is hosted by Olympia Fields Country Club. Olympia Fields is located just south of Chicago is typically a favorite course among pros and I think this week proved why. The course always brings out the best golfers. On Friday, Max Homa put on a marvelous performance by shooting an eight under 62. He even had two bogeys that day. Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Brian Harman also posted rounds of 65s. Star studded leader boards is what we want in these playoffs and this week delivered on that.
Most of the weekend, however, was a battle between Scottie Scheffler and 2022 US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick. Both began their final rounds tied at the top at 11 under par and in the final pairing. They occasionally traded places for the top spot but no one saw Viktor Hovland staging a comeback just a few groups ahead of them. It wasn’t until Scottie and Matt’s 16th hole that they saw the lead slip away to someone not in the final group.
Just ahead, Hovland was putting on a clinic. Driving it beautifully, and hitting almost every approach close to the hole. He made ten birdies to one bogey including a magical 28 on the back nine. Viktor needed to birdie both 17 and 18 to beat Scottie (and the rest of the field) by one stroke, which he did.
This is Viktor’s fifth PGA Tour victory but his second this summer. This will help him a lot in the race to the FedEx Cup which continues next week at the final playoff stop in Atlanta at East Lake.
Viktor Hovland What’s In The Bag:
Driver: Ping G425 LST 9° (Fujikura Speeder 661 TX)
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus 15 degrees (Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X)
Irons: Titleist U510 (Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 85 X), Ping i210 3-P (KBS Tour V 120 X 4-PW)
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50° & 56°, Titleist Vokey SM8 58° & 60° (KBS Tour V 130 X)
Putter: Ping PLD DS 72
Zack Buechner
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