The 2023 Tour Championship is now officially over as Viktor Hovland continued his superb play to emerge victorious. He will take home a top prize of $18 million dollars for his efforts, a massive boost to his career earnings.
2023 Tour Championship: Hovland Dominates the Field
This entire article could be written solely about Viktor Hovland. The hottest golfer on the planet entering the Tour Championship lived up to sky-high expectations during one of the biggest tournaments in the entire sport.
The rightful winner of the $18,000,000 check showed how consistency wins tournaments.
Hovland pieced together four great rounds, shooting a 68, 64, 66, and then a phenomenal final round 63.
The special part about this performance by Hovland was his ability to avoid mistakes throughout the tournament. In his opening round, he shot a bogey-free 68, and would follow that up with only one bogey in the second round, one more in the third, and none in the 4th.
Hovland might not have the most experience on the European Ryder Cup squad but he will be the best player. Whether you are a fan of the red or the blue this cup, Hovland is must-see TV at the moment.
The Wonderboy: Wyndham Clark
What a week for Wyndham Clark at the 2023 Tour Championship. Clark put all the haters who said he can’t perform outside of LACC to bed. With no rounds over par and a final round of 65, Clark proved he can be consistent outside of the US Open.
He has big shoes to fill in his first Ryder Cup, as he will be tasked to take down the European powerhouses. But if Wyndham plays well he can beat anyone in the world, as he showed this week at the 2023 Tour Championship.
2023 Tour Championship: Steady Scottie Scheffler
Entering the tournament, Scottie was the odds-on favorite for the 2023 Tour Championship as he started at -10 with the field all at least two strokes behind him.
Scheffler was nothing special this week with a very average -1 for the tournament. Let’s hope Scottie puts this behind him and enjoys his off-season break before the Ryder Cup but, I would not worry about the World No. 1.
Xander Schauffle Shows Out in Big Moment
I was extremely high on Xander in the last 2023 Tour Championship Preview article. Xander’s love for East Lake and his presence in big-time tournaments shined through this week. Although X did not win, he started extremely far back from the top and climbed the leaderboard throughout the week.
A great result and a big check should leave a great taste in Xander’s mouth heading into next season and hopefully, he can carry this momentum into Rome.
2023 Tour Championship: Checking In on The Euro Veterans
Rory McIlroy proving once again he is one of the best in the world? Not a shocker. Rory had a great tournament, firing off a -5 final round and finishing 4th. He was in the conversation the entire weekend and will be asked to lead the European team this Ryder Cup.
Another leader of the squad will be Jon Rahm. Rahm finished 18th with a final round 74. Not a great showing out of Rahmbo but, with a better European team this year, Rahm will have a lot less pressure to lead the squad in Rome.
Maybe Morikawa?
Collin Morikawa was another golfer who, entering the 2023 Tour Championship had long odds to win just because of his starting position. Morikawa was given a very little chance to win because he started nine back from the lead on Thursday.
Sure enough, Morikawa would get right back into contention at the 2023 Tour Championship with an impeccable bogey-free 61 on Thursday. Colin would cool off in the next two rounds shooting a 64 and 73. He also struggled on Sunday, firing a 72.
It’s great to see Colin heat up when he needs to but his consistency issues are still circulating. It will be very interesting to see if he will make the USA Ryder Cup roster.
What’s Next in the Golf World?
Here are the next events to keep an eye out for in the golf world.
- Fortinet Championship (Napa, CA) September 14-September 17th
- LIV GOLF (Chicago) September 22nd-September 24th
- Ryder Cup (Rome, Italy) – September 29th-October 1st