Hovland: "I am Norway's first FedEx Cup champion"

PO Final Tour Championship Victory by 5 Strokes
3rd Win of the Season and 6th Career Win... '23.9 Billion KRW Jackpot'
Shoply 2nd Place, Kim Si-woo and Kim Joo-hyung Tied for 20th

Viktor Hovland (Norway) made new history.

On the 27th (local time), Hovland finished the final round of the Tour Championship (total prize money $75 million), the third and final event of the 2022/2023 PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs at East Lake Golf Club (par 70, 7,346 yards) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, by shooting 7 under par and securing a 5-stroke victory (27 under par). This marked his third win of the season and sixth career victory, following his win at the BMW Championship last week. His winner's prize was $18 million (approximately 23.9 billion KRW).

Only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup rankings participated in the Tour Championship, with starting scores adjusted according to their rankings. The No. 1 FedEx Cup ranking player received a stroke bonus of 10 under par. Hovland, ranked second, started at 8 under par. Players ranked 3rd to 5th started at 7 to 5 under par, 6th to 10th at 4 under par, 11th to 15th at 3 under par, 16th to 20th at 2 under par, 21st to 25th at 1 under par, and 26th to 30th started at even par.

Victor Hovland (left) celebrates with caddie Shay Knight after making a birdie on the 1st hole of the 4th round at the Tour Championship, the final third FedEx Cup playoff event. [Atlanta, USA = AFP·Yonhap News] Photo by AFP

Hovland started with a 6-stroke lead and collected seven birdies. His strong start included a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4) and three consecutive birdies from the 4th to 6th holes. A crucial moment came at the 14th hole (par 4), where he sank an approximately 7-meter par putt while being chased by the third-place player. After overcoming this challenge, he secured three consecutive birdies from the 16th to 18th holes to seal a commanding victory. He relied on a greens-in-regulation rate of 83.33% and 26 putts.

Hovland began playing golf at age 11 and is also known as a taekwondo black belt. He set the amateur scoring record at the 2019 US Open with a 4-under-par 280, the lowest in 59 years. After turning professional in 2019, he became the first Norwegian PGA champion by winning the Puerto Rico Open in February 2020, the first Norwegian winner on the European stage at the 2021 DP World Tour BMW International Open, and the first Norwegian to win a Rolex Series event at the Dubai Desert Classic, a prestigious match.

In December last year, Hovland successfully defended his title at the Hero World Challenge hosted by golf legend Tiger Woods (USA), and on this day, he experienced the joy of becoming the first Norwegian FedEx Cup champion. Hovland earned $32,112,235 (approximately 42.6 billion KRW) in prize money on the PGA Tour this year alone.

Zander Shofley (USA) made a strong push with 8 under par but settled for second place (22 under par). US Open champion Wyndham Clark (USA) finished third (16 under par), defending champion Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) was fourth (14 under par), and FedEx Cup No. 1 Scotty Scheffler (USA) tied for sixth place (11 under par). From Korea, Kim Si-woo finished tied for 20th (6 under par) with a 4-under-par round. Kim Joo-hyung also tied for 20th, and last year's runner-up Im Sung-jae finished 24th (3 under par).