Viktor Hovland wins Tour Championship, $18M prize

Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Viktor Hovland started the final round of the Tour Championship with a 6-stroke lead, but needed to hold off a charging Xander Schauffele on the back nine to claim the title and its $18 million prize Sunday in Atlanta.

Hovland carded a four-round score of 19-under and finished 27-under for the tournament held at East Lake Golf Club. He made seven birdies Sunday, including each of his final three holes.

The final round was delayed by nearly two hours because of a storm, but concluded Sunday night.

Hovland's 7-under 63 over his final three holes was his best round of the tournament. The 25-year-old is the third-youngest FedEx Cup champion.

"It's just pretty surreal to be standing here right now, playing my best golf the last two weeks," Hovland said on the CBS broadcast. "It couldn't have happened at a better moment."

Schauffele, who carded a 62 on Sunday, finished at 22-under. He took home a $6.5 million prize for second place. Wyndham Clark finished third, at 16-under, for a $5 million prize.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay rounded out the Top 5 finishers. They cashed in for $4 million and $3 million, respectively. Scottie Scheffler, who started the tournament at 10-under, was 11-under through 72 holes and tied Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa for sixth place.

Hovland, who held either a share of or the outright lead for each round of the tournament, started Sunday at 20 under, six strokes better than Schauffele and seven strokes better than Morikawa and Keegan Bradley

He birdied his first hole and made par on Nos. 2 and 3. Hovland then birdied Nos. 4, 5, and 6. He made par on his next three holes to card a 4-under 31 at the turn.

Hovland failed to increase his lead from Nos. 10 through 15, making par on each hole. Schauffele, who was 5-under through nine holes, birdied Nos. 11 and 12 to cut Hovland's lead to three strokes with six to play.

Hovland sank a 23-foot birdie on No. 14 to save par. He made par again on 15 before his trio of birdies clinched the FedEx Cup.

The 2023-24 PGA Tour season will start with the Fortinet Championship. That tournament will be held from Sept. 14 to 17 in Napa, Calif.