Viktor Hovland Wins BMW Championship: Viktor Hovland emerged victorious in the United States Professional Golfers Association Tour BMW Championship with a fiery, fourth-round surge that places him as one of the favorites in the Tour Championship. The 25-year-old Norwegian parbuster fired a course-record 9-under-par 61 in the final round for a 72-hole aggregate of 17-under 263 at the Olympia Fields in Chicago. Hovland made 10 birdies, seven pars and one bogey and shot 28 on the back nine. The Oslo native’s victory helped him jump to second place from seventh in the FedEx Cup standings and gave him a better chance of winning the season-ending tournament. The final-round surge allows Hovland to become one of the online betting favorites in the Tour Championship.
Viktor Hovland Wins BMW Championship: Hovland Overtakes Scheffler, Fitzpatrick
Three shots off the pace before the start of the final round, Hovland made his move on the back nine as he shot a 28. This helped the Memorial winner overcome a four-shot deficit at the turn and made the two-man fight between Scheffler and Fitzpatrick a one-man show with the Norwegian at the helm. He claimed the US$3.6-million top prize with the win and assured him of a slot in the Tour rankings. Scheffler and Fitzpatrick shared second on 265 as they both carded 66s and Rory McIlroy finished fourth after a 66 that gave him a four-round total of 268. Fitzpatrick’s second-place finish catapulted him to 10th place in the rankings from 40th before the tournament. The result bumped off Chris Kirk out of the FedEx Cup Top 30 list.
Scheffler likewise benefited from the placing he had in the BMW Championship. It moved him to the top of the season points list and will start the Tour Championship at East Lake at 10-under. Hovland will tee off at 8-under while McIlroy begins at 7-under. Meanwhile, erstwhile leader and Masters champion Jon Rahm kicking off the event with a 5-under headstart. Other golfers who qualified for the Tour Championship are Lucas Glover, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Tony Finau, Corey Conners, Si Woo Kim, Taylor Moore, Nick Taylor, Adam Schenk, Collin Morikawa, Jaosn Day, Sam Burns, Emiliano Grillo, Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Spieth and Sepp Straka. The event will be held on August 24-27.
Schauffele Dislodges Koepka from Automatic Ryder Cup Berth
Xander Schauffele secured the sixth and final automatic spot on the Ryder Cup after finishing tied for eighth in the US PGA BMW Championship. The Olympic gold medalist closed with a 2-under 68 at the Olympia Fields. The Top-10 finish gave Schauffele 9,450 points in 26 qualifying tournaments, edging PGA champion Brooks Koepka, who garnered 9,421 points in 10 counting events. Koepka was fifth before the BMW Championship and Schauffele’s last-ditch rally relegated him to seventh. Koepka, who left the PGA Tour for Saudi-backed LIV Golf, can only gain points in major tournaments. He placed second at The Masters and won the PGA Championship.
Ryder Cup Automatic Selections and Contenders: Schauffele Joins Roster, Koepka Awaits Captain’s Pick
Schauffele joins Scottie Scheffler, US Open champion Wyndham Clark, British Open champion, Patrick Cantlay and Max Homa among the US golfers who received the automatic slots for the Ryder Cup. Koepka will have to be chosen by US captain Zach Johnson in order to compete in the Ryder Cup. Since his victory in the PGA Championship, Koepka placed joint 17th in the US Open and tied for 64th in the British Open. In LIV Golf, the American had only one finish in the top 10 in five events.
Bubba Watson was the last US player who finished just outside automatic qualifying and was not picked at the Ryder Cup. Jordan Spieth finished at eighth in the Ryder Cup standings, followed by Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley and Sam Burns. Rickie Fowler placed No13, Justin Thomas ended up in 15th. He may have a possible shot at receiving one of the wildcard entries as he has a 6-2-1 (win-loss-draw) record in the last two Ryder Cups he played. Lucas Glover, who is ranked fifth in the FedEx Cup, came in 16th in the Ryder Cup rankings.
The team championships feature the best golfers in the US and Europe. It will be held at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio near Rome on September 29-October 1. Sports fans who also bet on their favorite golf players will be treated to an exciting team showdown that will also give you extra money when you pick on the Ryder Cup golf parlays available for the tournament.
