Viktor Hovland is 18 holes away from an $18 million check and the FedEx Cup trophy.
The Norwegian owns a six-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele after the third round of the Tour Championship on Saturday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Hovland won last week’s BMW Championship to move to second in the FedEx Cup points standings in time for this week’s “staggered start” format. His rounds of 68-64-66 have vaulted him to 20-under par.
The 25-year-old has had close calls at several major championships, but winning the FedEx Cup would be the crowning achievement of his young career.
“The list of names that’s been on that trophy is pretty special,” Hovland said. “Obviously it’s maybe not a marathon, but it feels more like a sprint. Obviously it’s a marathon getting into this week. But it’s hard to win the FedEx Cup if you haven’t played well the last few weeks.”
Hovland began the day tied for the lead with Collin Morikawa. After playing the first 36 holes bogey-free, Morikawa struggled to a 3-over 73, dropping back to a tie for third with Keegan Bradley (70 on Saturday) at 13 under.
Hovland benefited from a three-stroke swing over Morikawa across two holes. At No. 5, Morikawa flubbed a shot from behind a greenside bunker, landing it in the sand en route to a double bogey. At the par-5 sixth, Morikawa missed a short birdie putt while Hovland made his to get to 17 under.
An unexpected 75-minute suspension because of a nearby lightning storm did not zap Hovland’s momentum. He came out of the delay birdieing Nos. 12 and 13 to build as much as a seven-shot advantage. After his only bogey of the day came at No. 14, he rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-3 15th.
“Putting it all together, I don’t think I’ve ever played this well before, with this stretch, just putting all the short game and stuff together,” Hovland said.
Schauffele’s 68, featuring five birdies and three bogeys, was his 24th under-par score in 27 career rounds at East Lake. He said it wasn’t good enough.
“Shoot, I missed two short putts coming in there on 15 and 18 right there,” Schauffele said. “I look up at the board and if I made those two like I normally would, I would still — I wouldn’t have gained anything on the leader.”
His stellar form aside, Hovland’s lead is not impenetrable. Just last year, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland came back from six down in the final round to beat Scottie Scheffler for his third FedEx Cup title.
“He’s just playing unbelievable golf,” Schauffele said of Hovland. “He’s been working really hard. I saw him working hard through the playoffs there. I was out late and he was one of the guys I always saw until dark as well.”
Morikawa wasn’t the only big name who moved backwards Saturday. Scheffler had four bogeys (missing a 3-footer for par at No. 6) and didn’t make a birdie until the final hole for a 73.
After starting the week in first place at 10 under, Scheffler is now tied for fifth at 11 under with Wyndham Clark (68) and Jon Rahm of Spain, who had a double bogey on No. 8 en route to a 71.
McIlroy posted a 71 and is part of a tie for eighth at 9 under with Patrick Cantlay (68) and Adam Schenk (69).
–Field Level Media
