Hovland made 10 birdies and one bogey for a course-record 61 – including a 7-under-par 28 on the back nine – and a come-from-behind, two-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler (66) and Matt Fitpatrick (66) at the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields.
News for the 12 Eligible Official World Golf Ranking Tournaments
PGA Tour - BMW Championship
Viktor Hovland and his caddie, Shay Knight, had a tough conversation last week, Hovland having shot a final-round 69 for a T13 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
At 133rd for the season in Final Round Scoring Average on the PGA TOUR, the young Norwegian felt he wasn’t doing Sundays very well. Well, so much for all that.
Hovland made 10 birdies and one bogey for a course-record 61 – including a 7-under-par 28 on the back nine – and a come-from-behind, two-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler (66) and Matt Fitpatrick (66) at the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields.
“To win at a place like this and amongst the best players in the world, it's pretty cool,” said Hovland, whose fifth PGA TOUR win moved him from 7th to 2nd in the FedExCup. “And to do it that way, making seven birdies the last nine holes …”
It was the lowest finish by a winner on TOUR this season, Hovland’s career low, and the lowest score in the history of the FedExCup Playoffs. He made 12 threes in what was close to a flawless round: 12/14 fairways (he led the field for the week at 43/56), 16/18 greens hit, first in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 2nd in Strokes Gained: Putting.
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 50.22058
World Number 5 - 5
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Korn Ferry Tour - Magnit Championship
The path to the PGA TOUR has been long and winding for Chan Kim, but following a win at the inaugural Magnit Championship Sunday afternoon, the well-traveled 33-year-old and former Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit winner now stands on the doorstep of his final destination.
Kim was one of three players (and the only the top-10 finisher) who carded an 8-under 64 in the final round at Metedeconk National Golf Club, where 54-hole co-leader Taylor Dickson’s course-record 10-under 62 was the only score under 65 through the first three rounds.
“I knew I needed to shoot something low to try and give myself a chance, but 8-under is… I blacked out, I guess,” Kim joked. “When that flop shot went in on No. 12, I knew if I kept pushing I could give myself a chance. On No. 17, I hit one in there really good, and I felt like it was a putt I needed to make… when that one slid by I told my caddie, ‘We’ve just got to try and birdie No. 18 and whatever happens, happens.’”
Kim made three consecutive birdies at the par-4 fourth, par-3 fifth, and par-5 sixth as he turned at 3-under par Sunday. He lost a stroke at the par-3 11th but bounced back with an eagle at the par-5 12th, followed by three consecutive birdies at the par-4 13th, par-5 14th, and par-3 15th. Kim’s birdie barrage took him to 19-under par and pulled him even with Dickson, who began the day tied for the lead and two strokes ahead of Kim. A closing birdie at the par-4 18th, coupled with back-to-back closing bogeys for Dickson handed Kim a three-stroke victory.
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 15.30665
World Number 292 - 164
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Asian Tour - International Series England
Andy Ogletree stamped his authority once again on the Asian Tour today by claiming the US$2 million International Series England after a stunning seven-stroke victory – with a runaway 16-under tournament total.
The American was unstoppable at Close House, near Newcastle, shooting a final-round seven-under-par 64 – the joint lowest round of the week – to finish ahead of second-placed Ian Poulter from England, who closed with the same score.
Indian Anirban Lahiri also excelled, carding a 68, to take sole possession of third, one back from Poulter.
This is Ogletree’s third convincing International Series victory – he triumphed in Qatar by three this year, and by four in Egypt last season – and it consolidated his lead on both the Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merits.
“I don’t think I could hit it much better than I did this week,” said the 25-year-old, who banked US$360,000.
“The greens were super bumpy so it’s hard to tell exactly how my putting was, but I was pleased with how I played and my speed control coming down the stretch today was awesome. And it was nice to see a few putts go in, so we’re just gonna keep trying to get better every week. My game is in a really good spot against a world-class field, super honored to play the way I did.”
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 11.28281
World Number 381 - 214
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DP World Tour - ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics
Daniel Brown claimed his maiden DP World Tour victory in just his 20th start as he held his nerve for a five-shot win at the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics.
The Englishman had been top of the leaderboard since carding an opening 64 and entered the final day with a six-shot lead, although he did not have it all his own way at Galgorm Castle.
He saw his advantage trimmed to two on the back nine but closed out victory with a 69 that saw him finish at 15 under ahead of Alex Fitzpatrick, who carded a finishing 68.
It has been a long road to the winner's circle for Brown, who played his first DP World Tour event at the 2015 KLM Open but had to wait seven years and two months for his second appearance.
In between he played on the EuroPro Tour and European Challenge Tour, playing no Ranking events in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, before earning his full playing privileges on the Challenge Tour for 2022 thanks to his third runner-up finish of the 2021 EuroPro Tour campaign at the season-ending Matchroom Tour Championship.
He finished 30th on last season's Road to Mallorca before graduating from the Qualifying School and after making 16 of 19 cuts this season - including his first 13 - and securing three top tens, he can now put a first professional victory on his CV at the age of 28.
"It feels amazing," said Brown, who moves to 35th on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex after 12 consecutive sub-70 rounds. "I could never have dreamed this up in the past however many years and months.
“(My mum was) blubbering down the phone. I'm over the moon, but it probably hasn't sunk in yet. I don't know. I almost still feel like someone's going to crop up and say there's another day left or something. Crazy.
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 11.22867
World Number 384 - 236
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Gira de Golf Professional Mexicana - Club de Golf Mexico Invitational
Sun, rain and threat of electrical storm. There was a bit of everything in the final round of the Club de Golf México Invitational, the first event of the 2023-24 campaign of the Mexican Professional Golf Tour (GGPM) won by Brazilian Alexandre Rocha.
In an emotional finale, Alexandre Rocha, a former member of the PGA Tour, won the victory by signing a card of 67 shots today for a cumulative 203, 13 under par, which meant his third GGPM title for the South American. "I feel that the key was patience, the fact of having played under pressure," exclaimed the champion.
Halfway through the round, the competition that distributed a purse of one million 800 thousand pesos had to be postponed for about 20 minutes due to the threat of an electrical storm. Already in the restart, Rocha endured the pressure of the Mexicans Álvaro Ortiz, Luis Garza and José de Jesús "Camarón" Rodríguez who came to be only one shot from the winner.
“I dedicate this victory to my mother here,” said Alex Rocha on the verge of tears. “It is the first time that my mother (Camila) has seen me win in a tournament as a professional. I am very happy and grateful with the Mexican Professional Golf Tour and with Club de Golf México”, added the Brazilian, also a former member of the Korn Ferry Tour.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://www.giramx.golf/en/post/alex-rocha-wins-the-club-de-golf-m%C3%A9xico-invitational
Points Won - 1.19811
World Number 791 - 708
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PGA Tour of Australasia - Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship
The attitude that earned Daniel Gale a PGA TOUR start just four weeks ago has delivered a drought-breaking victory at the 2023 Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA Championship. The tournament leader at Palmerston Golf and Country Club at the completion of the first and second rounds, Gale had to start the final round two strokes back of Victorian Andrew Kelly.
That deficit would have been four if not for two late birdies in his round of 1-over 72 on Saturday and he was back on level terms after making birdie at both of his opening two holes on Sunday.
It was pedal-to-the-metal from start to finish, the New South Welshman leading by three after playing the front nine in 4-under 32. Queenslander Chris Crabtree loosened Gale’s stranglehold briefly when he made five birdies in the space of six holes around the turn but Gale would once again extend his advantage late, making birdies at 16 and 17 before a three-putt bogey on 18 for a round of 6-under 65 and a four-stroke win.
It had been exactly 1,939 days since Gale won the 2018 SP PNG Open in his rookie season on the PGA Tour of Australasia and the 27-year-old admitted that a second win had been a long time coming.
“It feels every bit of that,” Gale said of his more than five-year wait for a second title.
“Obviously just spent three-and-a-bit months in America, worked my butt off, trained hard and I’ve learnt a lot from my experiences. I was able to apply it this week.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://pga.org.au/news/gale-shoots-sunday-65-to-win-nt-pga/
Points Won - 1.06834
World Number 803 - 733
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Challenge Tour - Vierumäki Finnish Challenge
Historic home victory for Ruuska in Finland, Lauri Ruuska clinched his maiden European Challenge Tour title in memorable fashion by seven shots on home soil at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge.
The Finn, who became just the fourth player in Challenge Tour history to shoot a round of 59 or better on Thursday, made more history by becoming only the second homegrown player to win at Vierumäki Resort.
The 29-year-old carded a final round of 64 to pull away from overnight challenger Jack McDonald and join Kim Koivu as a home winner of the event.
With a round of 59 on Thursday and a 27 under par winning total – his lowest 72-hole score on the Challenge Tour – it was a memorable week for Ruuska.
“It doesn’t get any better than this week,” he said. “There’s no better week than this. Whatever the future brings we’ll wait and see but this is the best week I’ve ever had.
“It’s tough to put it into words. It felt amazing to make that birdie at the end in front of my family, my girlfriend, and friends out there – just unbelievable.
For the full story follow the link below:
Points Won - 3.43444
World Number 1089 - 748
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Sunshine Tour - SunBet Challenge - Time Square
A strong back nine saw Malcolm Mitchell cruise to a remarkable four-stroke victory in the SunBet Challenge Time Square at Wingate Park Country Club on Friday and claim his maiden win on the Sunshine Tour.
After turning in one under for his round, Mitchell made five birdies on the back nine for a final round of 66 to win on 14 under par. He finished well clear of second-placed Louis Albertse, who had a great last day with a 65 to end on 10 under par.
Mitchell’s victory was his first on the Sunshine Tour in his 73rd event, and comes after he was the runner-up to Estiaan Conradie in the same event at Wingate two years ago.
“I was absolutely in the zone after I woke up this morning – just feeling good and happy. I know I play well here. There’s something about this course that just suits my eye. I just love it here and it’s one of my favourites.
“I spoke with Estiaan on the morning of the final round and I said the event two years ago actually brings me a lot of confidence. It might have looked comfortable today, but the first nine was actually very hectic and I made some very good up-and-downs.
“But then on the back nine I just felt the calmest I have ever felt in my life. My ball striking was unbelievable. I was making putts, and before I knew it, I opened my eyes and I had three birdies in a row from nowhere,” Mitchell beamed.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://sunshinetour.com/back-nine-blitz-earns-mitchell-sunbet-challenge-time-square-title
Points Won - 2.36741
World Number 985 - 809
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Nordic Golf League - Esbjerg Open by FREJA
Alexander Frances was able to pay tribute as winner of Esbjerg Open by Freja early Friday afternoon. In Thursday's second round, the Dane set a track record as he beat Thomas Bjørn's 27-year-old record with a single blow with a round of 63 strokes.
On Thursday he put eight birdies on the card, but on Friday he had to settle for three, bogeying the last two holes of his final round. However, a final round score of 71 was enough to claim the win with a total score of 205 (-8) and win by two shots over 2nd place finisher Oliver Suhr. Suhr finished 5 under par and a final round (69) which was unsuccessful at catching the leader Alexander Frances.
For the full story follow the link below:
https://eccotour.org/alexander-frances-udbyggede-foeringen-og-vandt-i-esbjerg/
Points Won - 0.65582
World Number 1242 - 1107
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ProGolf Tour - Stippelberg Open
Zan Luka Stirn secured his second win of the current season with an impressive performance over the three tournament days of the Stippelberg Open. At the first stop of the Pro Golf Tour's Dutch Swing - the overall winner of the three stops will receive a place on the starting list of the KLM Open 2024 on the DP World Tour - the Slovenian won by two strokes ahead of Linus Lang, Robin Smiciklas (both Germany) and Camille Bordone (France).
The Arkansas State University graduate only conceded four bogeys during the 54 holes on the sometimes difficult holes of the Golfbaan Stippelberg. For Stirn, who started the final round as the leader, rounds of 68, 64 and 66 and a total score of twelve under par were enough to bring the victory over the finish line. It was only with a birdie on the 18th that the 26-year-old finally decided a race for the title that was highly exciting right to the end.
"I wanted to stay in the moment and focus on the here and now," said the winner, describing his recipe for success in Saturday's final. "Fortunately, I managed to do that very well. A victory is always something very special. That's what we put all the hard work into. The fact that it's now the second win makes it all the better."
For the full story follow the link below:
https://www.progolftour.de/press-detail/sensational-stirn-takes-second-win
Points Won - 0.54932
World Number 1401 - 1292
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Asian Development Tour - The Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura
Indonesia’s Kevin Abkar endured a torrid start to his final round but kept his nerve to secure his first professional win with a one stroke victory in the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura at Gunung Geulis Country Club.
The young Indonesian, who turned professional in 2019, got off to a terrible start with four bogeys in his first five holes before he was able to get his game back on track. Three birdies followed which allowed him to make the turn and still maintain his lead, despite a further dropped shot on the way.
Thailand’s Charng-Tai Sudsom (68), who matched the course record in a sparkling first round on Wednesday, kept fighting to the last. He was tied for the honours as play drew to a close, posting a pair of birdies on his final two holes to briefly take the clubhouse lead on nine under before Akbar (72) closed the door to finish at 10 under par.
“I knew I had to make some birdies as the back nine is not that difficult,” said Akbar after his round. “I had a good run of pars, I missed a couple of birdie chances but there were a good par saves on 11, 12 and also on 16. That was an eight-footer for par. I made it, that was huge.
“I said to myself before the round that 10 under would be fine and by the time I reached 16 at nine under I thought I’d need at least one more. I hit a good second shot to two feet and made the birdie, that was key.
“I hadn’t looked at the leaderboard until we got to the last hole. I asked Agung (Budiman) how I was doing, and he said just make par and you’re good.”
For the full story follow the link below:
https://asiantour.com/adt/kevin-keeps-his-nerve-to-secure-first-professional-win
Points Won - 1.09159
World Number 2191 - 1464
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Professional Golf Tour of India - India Cements Pro Championship
Gurugram’s Sunhit Bishnoi was a cut above the rest as he produced a red-hot eight-under 64 on the final day to outshine the rest of the field and land his maiden title at the inaugural India Cements Pro Championship played at the TNGF Cosmo Golf Course in Chennai.
The 22-year-old Sunhit (66-68-70-64), playing only his second season as a professional, totaled 20-under 268 at the Rs. 50 lakh event to emerge wire-to-wire winner with an imposing nine-stroke margin. Bishnoi’s last round of 64 matched the tournament’s lowest score shot by Divyanshu Bajaj on day three.
Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain (67-69-71-70) took second place at a distant 11-under 277.
Sunhit said, “It feels really good to win in just my second season as a professional. When you know that your hard work is paying off, it boosts your confidence. I dedicate this win to my parents and my sister Gaurika who is also a professional golfer. I keep talking to her after my rounds and often take her advice as she has more years of experience as a professional golfer than I do.
“I chipped really well today, made some clutch putts and had my best day with the driver this week. Being five-under on the first five holes helped me calm my nerves and relax. It set the tone for the rest of the round. However, I was not keeping track of my score but instead just focusing on the job at hand. I had played well at TNGF last year having finished 11th, so that helped me begin this week with a lot of confidence.”
For the full story follow the link below:
https://pgtofindia.com/news/2458
Points Won - 0.54076
World Number 1902 - 1585
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