Down by four shots with nine holes to go, Viktor Hovland went nuclear to shoot a course record and win the BMW Championship.
Viktor Hovland blacked out on the back nine as he demolished everything in his path. He shot a final-round 61 to win the BMW Championship and set the course record at Olympia Fields Country Club.
Max Homa had set the course record Friday with a 62, which was then matched by Sam Burns Saturday.
This victory is his second on the season after he won The Memorial, and it marks his first FedEx Cup playoff win. It is also the lowest round of his professional career.
The former Oklahoma State golfer made 10 birdies and one bogey on the day. He went out in 33 strokes and sat four back of leader Scottie Scheffler when he made the turn.
Hovland handled the toughest parts of the course with ease as he came home in 28 strokes. It’s like he was playing another course than the rest of the field.
He made three straight birdies on holes 10-12. Then he made par on the par-3 13th. The 25-year-old added two more birdies on the par-4 14th and par-5 15th. Another par came at the par-3 16th, but then he handled the two hardest holes with ease.
Hovland made two birdies to close out his round and sit at 17-under, and the waiting game began. Scheffler made a bogey on the par-4 17th, and at that point, the five-time PGA Tour winner’s fate was sealed.
Going into Atlanta for the Tour Championship, Hovland will be No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings. He will get eight strokes to start the final event of the season.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and on Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
