Viktor Hovland's putter was on fire throughout the Tour Championship at East Lake, shooting scores -2, -6, -4 and a staggering -7 on the final day. The incredible title run to his sixth PGA victory secured him the FedEx Cup and along with it, the $18 million payout. But most importantly, the Tour Championship signified that the 25-year-old Norwegian talent's mental game is as formidable as his golfing skills.
"Hell of a player," Rory McIlroy said after the final round, according to Yahoo! Sports. McIlroy finished in fourth, at 14-under. "He works incredibly hard. Nothing but respect for how he goes about his business. True professional. For someone that's still so young, he's got quite an old head on those shoulders."
Hovland's five-strokeshark-like lead over stiff competitor Xander Schauffele doesn't do justice to the tight final day of play, with the 29-year-old California native finishing just one better for the day, at 8-under-par. Only a few strokes separated them, with Hovland flirting with a bogey on the 14th. The Norwegian knew that giving a shark like Schauffele any kind of opening would let the seven-time PGA winner go on a run that could have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. If this was a few years ago, or maybe even last year, Hovland would have buckled under the pressure of the final day, as he has in the past.
However, a steely-eyed Hovland showed up and showed out, saving par with a clutch putt that toed the line at 23 feet.
With the threat of disappointment behind him, Hovland continued to give a masterclass on how to finish with awesomely, cool composure. He maintained even play and then poured on the thrills at hole No. 16, firing off three successive birdies, to add to his four he clocked in on the front nine. The powerhouse ending birdies clinched the win in commanding style, his third PGA title for the year.
Viktor Hovland is living up to his potential and more
With half of his PGA victories having been achieved this year, you can say that 2023 has been incredible for Hovland. Ever since he hit the field, the Oklahoma State graduate has been considered a phenomenon. He's had several close runs early on in tournaments, but his nerves have perhaps faltered on the final day of play, most recently at the PGA Championship, where he earned his best major finish, just two strokes behind Brooks Koepka, at 7-under. Hovland's other best major performance occurred earlier this year, a T10 finish at The Masters, in seventh.
It seems that the Norwegian talent has found a way to steady his nerves during the pressure-cook moments. At just age 25, a nerveless Viktor Hovland is an impressive spectacle.
"He's not that old. Nobody's going to be the finished package at that age, really, apart from maybe Tiger Woods," Tommy Fleetwood said of the youthful Hovland, via Yahoo!. "He's showing how good he truly can be, and I think he'll keep going from strength to strength."
It's been an incredible summer for Hovland, beginning with his victory of the year at the Memorial in June, and a streak of back-to-back wins at the BMW Championship last week at Olympia Fields, and culminating the PGA season with the Tiffany's silver trophy in Atlanta. In a year that hasn't seen him cut once, it should also be noted that the Norwegian wunderkind also won the Hero World Challenge tournament at the end of last year.
"I don't think I've ever played this well before," Hovland said after this third round, according to SB Nation. "With this stretch, just putting all the short game and stuff together. I've certainly hit the ball this good before. I feel like I've hit the ball better than I have this week and even last week. It's about putting it all together."
"It seemed like the good weeks that I've had before I've always managed to short-side myself or chip a couple times and end up out of contention. Even this year I feel like I've just become a little bit more complete, and I don't have to hit it my best to be in contention. I don't have to hit every shot pure. I can miss it slightly and get up and down and move on."
Hearing Hovland give himself allowances is that last bit of confidence that was needed to add to his prodigious potential. He's playing with a freedom that we haven't seen from him before and it's allowing him to take risks that are paying off massively this year.
"I think Viktor realized that his course management was a weakness," Edoardo Molinari said, older brother of British Open champion Francesco Molinari and a 'secret weapon' of sorts for Hovland, via Golf Week. "His ball striking is probably top 3 on Tour, especially when he's playing well. He doesn't miss a shot. It's more like managing his few misses a little better sometimes playing a bit more aggressive off the tee because when he's on he doesn't really miss a fairway."
With the Ryder Cup approaching, Viktor is sure to be a huge asset for Team Europe, with both Molinari brothers serving as Vice-Captains.
Now that his mental game matches his golfing genius, it's just a waiting game until he gets his hands on his first major trophy. You can expect 2024 to be an even greater year for Viktor Hovland.
