[PHOTO: Michael Reaves]
Early on it looked like a battle between last year’s Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler, and US Open winner, Matt Fitzpatrick, but then Viktor Hovland popped into the mix and wouldn’t go away. Hovland birdied four of the last five holes, including the final two for a course-record 61 and, more importantly, the BMW Championship title.
Hovland shot a final-nine 28, including a clutch 9-iron at 17 from 141 metres to nine feet and then another from 145 metres at the last to six feet. But it was his work off the tee that set things up for Hovland. The Norwegian star ranked first in driving accuracy, hitting 43 of 56 fairways (76.8 percent) and second in strokes gained/off the tee, gaining more than four shots on the field.
Unpacking BMW winner Viktor Hovland’s mind-bending final round at Olympia Fields
His driver is a 9-degree Ping G425 LST with a Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX shaft that measures 45.75 inches.
Putting is sometimes an iffy proposition for Hovland, but he excelled this week, ranking fifth in strokes gained/putting, gaining more than six shots on the field. Hovland’s putter is a Ping PLD DS72 prototype that has a stepless 36-inch shaft and 2.5 degrees of loft.
The iron play was strong as well, as he finished T-3 in greens in regulation and fourth in strokes gained/approach the green with his Ping i210 irons with KBS Tour-V 120X shafts and Golf Pride MCC grips with one extra wrap of tape underneath.
And one more PGA Tour title to his credit.
The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 BMW Championship:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G425 LST (Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX), 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 15 degrees
Irons (3): Titleist U505; (4-PW): Ping i210
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 56 degrees); Ping Glide 2.0 (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD DS72 prototype
