ATLANTA — It’s Viktor Hovland’s world right now; we’re just living in it.
The 25-year-old Norwegian shot a 4-under 66 at East Lake Golf in Atlanta to improve to 20-under par and open a six-stroke lead at the Tour Championship, the third and final leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Hovland carded back-to-back birdies at Nos. 6 and 7, the latter a 12-foot putt. He held a four-stroke advantage at 18 under when play was suspended due to lightning in the area.
“We thought last Sunday was good,” CBS’s Frank Nobilo said. “This is every bit as good.”
Viktor Hovland strokes gained around the green ranks on PGA Tour
Last season: 191st
This season entering PGA: 170th
Since PGA Championship began: 20th— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 26, 2023
Hovland came back out when play resumed and made back-to-back birdies at Nos. 12 and 13. He made a bogey at 14, but drilled a 6-iron to 15 feet at the water-guarded 212-yard par-3 15th.
“The pin was on the right which made the green feel a little bigger for me,” he said. “It was a perfect 6-iron.”
While a touchdown seems like it should be an insurmountable edge — it is the largest 54-hole lead lost in Tour history — Scottie Scheffler blew a lead of the same amount last year in trying to win the $18 million winner’s prize. That’s over 192 million Krone for Hovland.
“That’s a lot of cash,” he said. “But we’re here to win tournaments. There’s a lot of hungry players behind me who can shoot 61 tomorrow. I’ve got to be ready.”
Xander Schauffele plays his shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
If it’s late August at East Lake, Xander Schauffele must be making birdies at the Tour Championship.
Schauffele is an ATM at the playoff finale, qualifying for his seventh consecutive year and has never finished worse that T-7. He has the most top-5 finishes without winning the FedEx Cup title, though he did win the Tour Championship in 2017 before Starting Strokes was implemented.
Schauffele started the week T-11 and has steadily climbed the leaderboard, earning a spot in the final group alongside Hovland. After rounds of 67-64, Schauffele made three birdies in his first seven holes, but made three bogeys that canceled out two more birdies on the way to the clubhouse and a round of 2-under 68. It marked his 24th under-par score in 27 career rounds at East Lake Golf Club. Expect another one on Sunday, but it better be a low one if Scahuffele’s going to catch the leader.
“I know what I need to do,” Schauffele said. “I need to go out and try and put as much pressure on him tomorrow on that front nine as I can and hope for the best.”
Collin Morikawa lines up his shot on the fifth green during the third round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Morikawa, who was the only player in the 30-man field to play bogey-free the first two rounds, made a double bogey at the fifth after his lob shot landed in a greenside bunker and he failed to get it up and down. He dropped two more shots with bogeys at Nos. 10 and 11 and waited until No. 16 to make his lone birdie of the day.
After shooting a tournament record 61-64 for the first 36 holes, Morikawa posted 3-over 73 to drop to 13 under.
Bradley is tied for third with Morikawa. He made four birdies and four bogeys in an up-and-down round of 70. Bradley made a deuce at the difficult par-3 15th for the third straight day.
Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Scheffler and Jon Rahm are tied going into the final round of the final event of the FedEx Cup. But after dueling for the FedEx Cup lead for most of the season, they find themselves nine off the pace set by Hovland, who left them in the dust. It didn’t help that the leading candidates for Player of the Year both fired a dud on “Moving Day.”
Rahm hit in the water left off the tee on No. 8 and made double bogey, added a bogey at 11 and made just two birdies en route to shooting 71.
Scheffler didn’t make a birdie until 18 and shot 3-over 73. He took three putts at 7, missing from just over a foot and even after one-putting the final four holes, he ranks 25th out of the 30-man field in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Rickie Fowler looks over the fifth green during the second round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
When Rickie Fowler finished his round, he signed autographs, sweat dripping down his face, as if it was a balmy 70 degrees, not 99 degrees with a heat index of 105 degrees. But Fowler knew where he was headed once he finished signing.
“I’ve got to get in a cold plunge,” he said.
Eventually, the searing heat won out and play was suspended at 5:28 p.m. ET for one hour and 15 minutes due to lightning in the area. (It was termed a code red.) The storm provided some relief for the rest of the play, which finished just before 8:30 p.m.
Sunday’s temperature is expected to drop down to 97, and the players will take the two degree dip but when it’s that hot, it’s just uncomfortable.
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