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What you need to know about the new Tour Championship scoring system

The stars of the PGA Tour have battled over the entire season and fought through two playoff events over the last two weeks. Now, all that remains is the Tour Championship at East Lake, the finale of the 2019 FedEx Cup Playoffs . But the lucky few pros who have survived this far will face a new Tour Championship scoring system and format at East Lake.

New FedEx Cup Playoffs format

The first change to the FedEx Cup playoffs format introduced this season has already happened. In the new system, the FedEx Cup Playoffs were reduced from four tournaments to three. After the 40 regular season events were complete, the Top 125 in the standings earned a spot in the Northern Trust at Liberty National, won by Patrick Reed .

The Top 70 players at the end of the Northern Trust made it to last week’s BMW Championship at Medinah, where Justin Thomas stormed to victory to set himself up for a shot at the FedEx Cup crown.

Following Thomas’ win, 40 more players were eliminated , including Tiger Woods . Now, the final 30 pros have gathered at East Lake outside of Atlanta, where they will play four rounds to determine the Tour Championship winner and the FedEx Cup champion. But the Tour Championship scoring system is radically different this year.

New Tour Championship scoring system

In the past, the Top 30 players in the FedEx Cup Playoffs also earned a spot in the Tour Championship. However, the event was played as a normal tournament, with all 30 players starting at even par, and the lowest 72-hole score winning the Tour Championship. Though performance in the Tour Championship counted toward a player’s point total, the FedEx Cup was awarded separately. That old scoring system allowed Tiger Woods to win the 2018 Tour Championship but finish 2nd behind Justin Rose for the FedEx Cup title last September.

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This year, and for the foreseeable future, the winner of the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup champion will always be the same . Under the new scoring system, the No. 1 player in the standings will begin the finale at 10 under par. The second-ranked pro will begin with a score of eight under, no. 3 at seven under, no. 4 at six under, no. 5 at five under, nos. 6-10 at four under, nos. 11-15 at three under, nos. 16-20 at two under, no.s 21-25 at one under, and nos. 26-30 at even par.

From there they will simply play a normal 72-hole event with the lowest score at the end winning both titles. That means for the player ranked 30th to win the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup, he’ll have to beat the No. 1-ranked player by more than 10 strokes.

Tour Championship scores (pre-tournament)

With the field set, we can look at where the players’ scores stack up on the Tour Championship leaderboard before the tournament begins.

1. Justin Thomas -10 2. Patrick Cantlay -8 3. Brooks Koepka -7 4. Patrick Reed -6 5. Rory McIlroy -5 6. Jon Rahm -4 7. Matt Kuchar -4 8. Xander Schauffele -4 9. Webb Simpson -4 10. Abraham Ancer -4 11. Gary Woodland -3 12. Tony Finau -3 13. Adam Scott -3 14. Dustin Johnson -3 15. Hideki Matsuyama -3 16. Paul Casey -2 17. Justin Rose -2 18. Brandt Snedeker -2 19. Rickie Fowler -2 20. Kevin Kisner -2 21. Marc Leishman -1 22. Tommy Fleetwood -1 23. Corey Conners -1 24. Sungjae Im -1 25. Chez Reavie -1 26. Bryson DeChambeau E 27. Louis Oosthuizen E 28. Charles Howell III E 29. Lucas Glover E 30. Jason Kokrak E

FedEx Cup bonus, purse and prize money

A silver trophy isn’t the only thing on the line at East Lake, a lot of money is at stake, too . The player who is crowned FedEx Cup Champion will receive a whopping bonus of $15 million. In addition, the Tour Championship win will count as an official PGA Tour victory, and the champion will receive a five-year Tour exemption.

The runner-up gets a nice pile of cash, too: $5 million. The payouts decrease as you go down the leaderboard, with eight players guaranteed to make at least $1 million. But no one gets left out; every player who makes it the Tour Championship receives a minimum payout of $395,000.

One obvious positive to the new Tour Championship scoring system is that there will be far less confusion about who is leading the tournament versus the FedEx Cup. With only one leaderboard combining the two races, it definitely will be easier for viewers to follow along. Although, there could be unforeseen consequences. Had the new system been in place last year, for example, Tiger Woods would not have won the Tour Championship , which capped his comeback season and set him up for major glory at Augusta in April.

Only time will tell if the new scoring system sticks around for the long haul.

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Tour Championship Leaderboard And Final Round Live Updates - Hovland Wins FedEx Cup by Five Shots Over Schauffele

The 2022/23 PGA Tour season comes to a conclusion this evening at East Lake. Who will lift the FedEx Cup and take the $18m bonus?

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Viktor Hovland fought off a spirited fightback from Xander Schauffele to claim back-to-back victories and the FedEx Cup with a five-shot victory at the Tour Championship.

Starting the day six shots ahead, Hovland started fast, making four birdies in his first six holes either side of a rain delay but was unable to shake off the challenge of Schauffele.

The American, who has never finished below seventh in his six appearances so far at East Lake, also made four birdies in his first six holes and continued to battle away, at one point reducing Hovland's lead down to just three after three birdies in five holes around the turn.

As the rest of the field was left behind, the final pairing offered up something of a prelude for next month's Ryder Cup over the back nine, going blow for blow over the final holes.

The turning point would arrive on the 14th, where Hovland responded from a poor chip to drain a crucial par putt and retain his three-shot advantage. From there, the 25-year-old found three birdies in his final three holes to finish on -27, securing back-to-back wins alongside the $18m winner cheque.

After Schauffele on -22, Wyndham Clark was the next best back at -16. Solid final rounds from Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay saw the pair round out the top five at -14 and -13 respectively. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler finished at T6 on -11.

Relive all the action from the final round of the Tour Championship below:

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD

• -27: HOVLAND
• -22: SCHAUFFELE
• -14: MCILROY 
• -13: CANTLAY

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP QUICK LINKS

• Tour Championship Final Round Tee Times
• Tour Championship Prize Money 2023
• Tour Championship Live Stream: How To Watch

Updates from:

Hello and welcome to Golf Monthly's live coverage of the final round of the Tour Championship. After a stellar round on Saturday, the tournament is really Viktor Hovland's to lose. Fresh of his victory last week, the Norwegian has a six-shot advantage at East Lake heading into the final round. 

It will take something special from the chasing pack to stop him. Will that happen? Tune in to find out...

FINAL ROUND TEE TIMES

We've got a few early starters out on the course, but here's a look at when the big contenders get underway for their final round.

Times listed in EDT (BST):

• 12.56pm (5.56pm) -  Adam Schenk, Rory McIlroy
• 1.07pm (6.07pm) -  Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay
• 1.18pm (6.18pm) -  Wyndham Clark, Jon Rahm
• 1.29pm (6.29pm) -  Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa
• 1.40pm (6.40pm) -  Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele

DIFFICULT EARLY SCORING

Scoring was tricky yesterday and the early signs from those already on the course is that we could be in for similarly tricky scorings.

14 players are out on the course but just two are under par currently for their rounds...

IS XANDER THE MAN TO CHASE DOWN HOVLAND?

If you could have picked someone charged with catching Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele may just be that person.

The American has five top-ten finishes and one victory at this course in his six appearances at the tournament. As well as that, he's yet to shoot over par at East Lake. 

Could he cause a shock here today? A reminder that Scottie Scheffler led by this exact amount heading into the final round last year...and ended up falling short to an electric round from Rory McIlroy.

BIG PAYDAY FOR THE WINNER

It's the biggest purse on the PGA Tour, so here's a quick reminder of the eye-watering sums of money that the top-ten players are set to take home today:

• 1 - $18,000,000
• 2 - $6,500,000
• 3 - $5,000,000
• 4 - $4,000,000
• 5 - $3,000,000
• 6 - $2,500,000
• 7 - $2,000,000
• 8 - $1,500,000
• 9 - $1,250,000
• 10 - $1,000,000

RYDER CUP PICKS TO PLAY FOR

Another strand to today's action is next month's Ryder Cup. Two names in the top five, in particular, will be looking to force the hand of US Captain Zach Johnson ahead of Marco Simone.

Collin Morikawa looks likely to get a captain's pick already but he'll be after one more big round just to make that sure.

The other is Keegan Bradley who it feels like is on the outside looking in at the minute. He's already won twice this season but may well need a big final-round showing at East Lake to make the case to Johnson for one of those six picks.

RORY MCILROY UNDERWAY

He's been struggling with a back injury all week has Rory and currently sits 11 shots back of the lead. He pulled off something magnificent this time last year but 11 shots feels even beyond his best.

He gets underway with Adam Schenk, finding the right rough with his first tee shot.

EARLY BOGEY FOR RORY

The Northern Irishman is blocked off by trees after his opening drive and can't reach the green in two. From the fairway he can't get up and down to save his par and he drops back to -8.

It's a lovely birdie, though, for his playing partner Schenk who moves into solo eighth at -10. What a season he is putting together. 

GLOVER AND HOMA INTO THE TOP TEN

A nice start for the American duo early into their final rounds. Two birdies for Glover, one for Max and the pair are both at T9 on -9.

OPENING BIRDIE FOR SCHEFFLER

Where was any of that yesterday, Scottie? The World No.1 was birdie-shy almost the entirety of Saturday but gets underway at the first on Sunday with a lovely iron approach.

He's got ten feet for birdie and this time makes no mistake. Up to -12 but plenty of work still to do. 

SCHENK HOLES OUT FROM THE FAIRWAY

Wow! What a start from Adam Schenk. It's rare that Rory McIlroy is overshadowed in a pairing but it's happening right now.

A birdie on the first is met by eagle on the third as he holes out from 137 yards on the fairway. Up to -12 and into a share of fifth for him.

He's still yet to win on the PGA Tour and that's probably unlikely to change today, but his breakthrough season continues to go from strength to strength.

6 years ago today, Adam received his PGA Tour card. Today, he is playing in the final round of the Tour Championship. I have a slew of words to share but I’ll spare you all: I’m wearing waterproof mascara today. pic.twitter.com/QuMdBmcJN7 August 27, 2023

LEADER UNDERWAY

A bit of drama before he starts as Viktor Hovland and his caddie appear to take a wrong turn and have to lightly jog to make the first tee on time.

All's well that ends well, though, as he finds the fairway with his drive. Schauffele, too, finds the short stuff as he looks to chase down the Norwegian. 

EARLY BIRDIES FLOWING

Well, I thought it might be similar to yesterday conditions-wise but perhaps not. Scheffler rolls in another birdie - his second of the round - to get to -13 and he's joined there by Adam Schenk whose marvellous front nine gets even better with a 31-foot birdie to move four under thru four.

Morikawa gets off and running with birdie at the first to move to -14 but Keegan Bradley doesn't appear to have got the memo as he makes an opening-hole bogey to drop back to -12.

HOVLAND MAKES AN EARLY MOVE

Just relentless golf from Viktor Hovland who pours in a 15-footer on the first for a birdie to move to -21. He's going to be difficult to catch if he keeps making birdies look as easy as that.

But credit to Schauffele. A beauty of an iron into the green for the American who also makes birdie to keep some sort of pressure on the leader. Up to -15 for him.

PLAY SUSPENDED

Well, not the news we were hoping for. Just as we were getting started, play has been suspended due to "inclement weather." Looks like storms are projected in the area but hopefully East Lake can avoid the worst of it.

The final round of the TOUR Championship was suspended at 1:57 p.m. ET due to inclement weather. August 27, 2023

Some thunder being picked up by the TV cameras. It looks like this delay could be a bit lengthier than anyone initially anticipated. 

Anyway, lets take the opportunity to look back on what golf we have seen so far today and the story right now is Adam Schenk. Five holes, three birdies, one eagle. Not bad. 

Here's a look at that eagle - a hole-out from the fairway:

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) A photo posted by on

RAIN BEGINNING TO CLEAR

No news as of yet regards a restart but signs the rain and clouds appear to be slowing moving away from East Lake. 

There's not a lot of wind out on the course so it may take it's time but hopefully we aren't too far away from getting the golfers back on the course. 

OVER IN EUROPE...

A few signs of fans but still no signs of players so lets take another look back at some other action from today which happened in Europe at the Czech Masters on the DP World Tour.

If today is a big day for the likes of Bradley and Morikawa to force their way into a US captain's pick for the Ryder Cup, then it was no different over in Prague.

A host of big names such as Ludvig Aberg, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adrian Meronk, Yannik Paul and Bob MacIntyre were in contention as they looked to make their case to Luke Donald for a captain's pick onto Team Europe. 

Click here to find out how they got on.

PLAY TO RESUME AT 15:50 ET (20:50 BST)

Finally some good news and a time for the resumption of play. Given the length of the delay, the players are being allowed some time on the range first but it looks like we are looking at a 3:50pm ET restart. 

For the folks in the UK, that's 20:50pm so just over half an hour away.

Update from Atlanta: the range is opening at 3:15 and play expected to resume at 3:50 pm ET. August 27, 2023

PLAY TO RESUME - HOVLAND LEADS BY SIX

We're about 15 minutes away from play resuming so a small reminder of how things stand:

Hovland remains six shots ahead on -21 after a first-hole birdie but faces a putt to save his par on the second. His closest chaser, Schauffele, also made birdie on the first and has a look at birdie on 2 to move up to -15. 

Further back on -14 is Morikawa, while Schenk and Scheffler have each started excellently with the pair sat on -13 and -4 and -2 for their final rounds respectively so far.

PLAY BACK UNDERWAY

The horn goes and we're back just under two hours later! 

A big putt first up for Hovland to save his par on the second...right in the heart of it. No signs of rust from the Norwegian after the time waiting around. Schauffele pushes his birdie putt right off the hole and walks of for a par. 

There was a chance of a two-shot swing there but, in the end, it all remains the same. Hovland leads by six.

CLOSE SHAVE FOR SCHEFFLER

Scottie was getting hot before the weather interval and his iron's are dialled right out the gates with a nice approach into the fifth. From ten feet, though, he can't convert and he remains eight back at -13. 

SCHAUFFELE CUTS LEAD TO FIVE

He just loves this course, does Xander. Another sterling iron into the third green gives him a look at birdie and the American makes no mistake.

He's up to -16 and now just five back of Hovland after he misses his look at birdie. No cause for concern...yet.

SCHENK INTO THE TOP THREE

Not even the near two-hour rain delay has dampened Adam Schenk's spirits today as his magical front nine just keeps getting better. Another birdie pours into the hole at 6 and he's now -5 for his round, 14-under-par for the tournament and into a tie for third! 

BIRDIES FOR HOVLAND AND SCHAUFFELE

The rain from earlier may have made these greens slightly more receptive, and the final pair are putting that two the test. Schauffele's approach into the fourth is great. Hovland's is even better, almost threatening to slam dunk into the hole. 

It's two relatively short birdie efforts...and they both convert. We started the day with a few in contention but this is fast becoming a two horse race - Schauffele hunting down Hovland. 

Elsewhere, there is a bogey for Morikawa who drops back to -13 and leaves Schenk in solo third. That's a tasty payday if he can stay there.

KEEGAN BRADLEY DROPS BACK 

Not the round the American would have wanted to put together today. His second bogey of the day on the front nine and he's now two-over-par for his round and back at -11.

MORE PUTTING WOES FOR SCHEFFLER 

A couple of missed opportunities early in the round for the American and he's now in trouble on the seventh with his ball running through to the back of the green. It's a tricky two-putt but that becomes all the more difficult when the World No.1's first effort comes up way short before drifting down the slope and away from the hole.

In the end, it's a three-putt bogey and he's now ten back of Hovland at -12.

HOVLAND RESTORES SIX SHOT LEAD

It's difficult to put into words the level of ball striking Hovland is displaying right now. The greens are receptive, sure, but, he's got another great look at birdie after a sumptuous iron into the fifth. 

No problem for the Norwegian, who rolls it in for back-to-back birdies to get to -23. 

And the pressure tells on Schauffele who misses his birdie putt just prior. He's been great so far today as well but he's back to how he started the day - six back of the leader. 

PLENTY FALLING BY THE WAYSIDE

This truly has become a two-horse race now. A bogey for Rahm after finding the greenside bunker. A bogey for Morikawa after a short miss. And a bogey, too, for Schenk after a clumsy three putts.

Schauffele the only one standing, trying to chase down Hovland.

DOUBLE BOGEY FOR SCHEFFLER 

Well Scottie wasn't likely to win today but he's now just losing money quickly on these greens. 

The first putt on the eighth is tricky - slow at first before picking up speed - and Scheffler races it by. The par putt is missed...and so is the even shorter bogey putt. Double-bogey six and the World No. 10 is back to -10 where he started the tournament. 

MORE BIRDIES FOR HOVLAND AND SCHAUFFELE

The two players in the final group find the exact same greenside bunker left of the green with their approaches in. 

The rain we've had earlier in the day makes this a far less intimidating proposition for these two on the par-five sixth and they make no mistake, up and down for a pair of birdies and on they go, storming further ahead of the field. 

BOGEYS FOR SCHENK AND RAHM

Schauffele and Hovland look like they are playing a different course at the minute as more players drop shots around them. Rahm gets himself in trouble off the tee and can only hack out of the fairway bunker. In the end, he does well to just drop one shot. 

Schenk, too, drops one as he makes the turn after another three putt on the tenth. 

SCHAUFFELE BACK WITHIN FIVE

Everyone else has vacated from the chase but Xander Schauffele is going nowhere. An aggressive tee shot allows him a wedge into the green and he makes no mistake with the birdie putt. He's -5 thru eight holes and up to -19.

Hovland taps in for his part to remain at -24, but his lead now drops back to five.

MORIKAWA MAKES THE TURN WITH BIRDIE 

He's no longer fighting for the overall title, but there's plenty of money on offer for any of the players that can make a move up the leaderboard. After a quiet few holes, Morikawa bounces back with birdie on the par-three ninth to move alongside Clark on -13.

And he's joined back on 13-under-par by Adam Schenk who pours in another birdie from over 20 feet. He's back into a tie for third. 

HOVLAND SAVES PAR AS FINAL PAIR MAKE THE TURN 

Plenty of work to do for Hovland as his tee shot into the ninth comes up right at the bottom of a huge slope. It's 50ft long but with about 40ft worth of left-to-right break. 

The Norwegian gives it a good go but his effort comes up just short. It's a slightly testy downhiller for par...but he makes no mistake. Schauffele gives his putt a great roll but it just evades the hole. A great effort but the lead remains at five for Hovland. 

CLARK MAKING A MOVE

He wasn't particularly in contention at the start of the day but a three-under-par round has this year's US Open champion up into solo third at -14. 

That could be worth a few dollars if he can stay there come the end of play. 

DOUBLE BOGEY FOR SCHENK

Oooh, that's not ideal. Adam Schenk goes from bunker to bunker on the 14th before a costly three-putt leaves him with a double-bogey six! From a tie for fourth down into seventh at -11 for the American. 

SCHAUFFELE CUTS LEAD TO FOUR 

Xander is running out of holes but by no means giving up the chase. He hits a solid iron into the 11th but is under pressure as Hovland stuffs one in close.

No nerves from the American, though, as he gets the perfect roll on his right-to-left putt, sending it right into the heart of the cup for his eighth birdie of the day. He's up to -20 now.

Hovland with a chance to maintain his five-shot lead...but he can't. Perhaps the first signs of nerves from the Norwegian? Seven holes to go but his lead is now four. 

RORY MAKING A MOVE

Even a bad back can't deter the Northern Irishman. He loves it here at East Lake and is finishing in style here on Sunday. A divine tee shot into the 15th brings him his third birdie in four holes and up to T4 at -13.

Schenk, his playing partner, bounces back nicely after that double bogey with a birdie, too, while Clark further improves his position in third with another birdie to get to -15.

BACK-TO-BACK BIRDIES FOR SCHAUFFELE, LEAD NOW JUST THREE

Hovland is in a small spot of bother off the 12th tee as his ball settles into the fairway bunker. Not to worry, he simply sticks it in close and gives himself another look at birdie. 

Schauffele ramps up the pressure with another stellar iron into the green just inside Hovland's effort. And the pressure tells.

Hovland's effort goes by while Schauffele's putt drops for another birdie. In an instant, the hole is now three. 

Some late drama perhaps?

BOGEYS FOR CLARK AND MCILROY 

These two spent the final day at LACC battling it out for the US Open a few months back and they deservedly have their names right up at the top of the leaderboard after a pair of fine seasons. 

They've both made nice moves today but now Clark and McIlroy falter somewhat with bogeys, moving them back to -14 and -12 respectively.

HOVLAND PAR KEEPS HIM THREE AHEAD

Problems off the tee for Schauffele who goes way left over the trees. He recovers nicely to make a par but it's advantage Hovland after he sticks one in close on 13.

It's a good roll...but just catches the lip and rolls by quite some distance! Not the tap-in he would have wanted but it's calmy negotiated by the Norwegian back up the slope to make par and remain three ahead. 

We're supposed to still have a month until the Ryder Cup but this feels like a proper Sunday matchplay singles classic. Hovland 3UP with five to play.

BIRDIE FOR RORY, BOGEY FOR COLLIN 

The two swap places with McIlroy moving into solo fourth after a bounce-back birdie on the penultimate hole. Morikawa, meanwhile, serves up a three-putt at just the wrong time to drop back to -12 and a tie for fifth alongside Cantlay.

Schenk was at -12 but he's now further back at -10 after his second double bogey in four holes at 17.

HUGE PAR SAVE FROM HOVLAND ON 14

The first real sign of emotion from Hovland all day as he lets out an almighty fist pump having saved par! His second shot came up short and the chip onto the green was poor, but the putt...nerveless.

He maintains his three-shot lead with Schauffele making par and that feels like a big moment in this closing stretch. 

What a putt!Viktor Hovland comes up clutch to save par @TOURChamp 💪He leads by 3 with 4 to play. pic.twitter.com/LGGFxLRAUb August 27, 2023

DOUBLE BOGEY FOR MORIKAWA 

The American isn't closing in style and a mistake out of the greenside bunker from the par-three 15th leads to a double bogey and three dropped shots in his last two holes. 

Three-over-par today. Not his finest golf. 

HOVLAND LEADS BY THREE WITH THREE TO PLAY

The par-three 15th next for the final pair and they both safely carry it beyond the flag to give themselves outside looks for birdie. 

Hovland is further away, and it's a big right-to-lefter which he nurses down to the hole nicely. A solid par for him. Schauffele needs to be aggressive and try steal one here...but it's on the wrong line right from the start. 

No harm with a par but he's only got three holes left now and still trails by three. 

MCILROY IN THE CLUBHOUSE

Rory ends with a birdie on the par-five last to get up to -14 for the tournament and safely inside the top-five after a four-under-par 66. That's a great performance given the problems with his back that plagued his first two rounds. 

A great end to another remarkably consistent season for him. His playing partner, Schenk misses out on a birdie and currently sits at T8 which also represents a fantastic season for the up-and-coming American.

Rory McIlroy: 10 consecutive top-10 finishes, the longest streak of his PGA Tour career August 27, 2023

HOVLAND MAKES BIRDIE TO GO FOUR AHEAD WITH TWO REMAINING

What a couple of holes from Viktor Hovland. A huge par save on the previous hole is followed by a superb iron shot into the 16th green to give him a great look at birdie.

Schauffele has a go for birdie before that but his effort comes up short and Hovland takes full advantage, rolling his 10-foot putt down the slope and into the cup for his first birdie of the back nine to move to -25.

He now leads by four with two left and that, should be that.

BACK-TO-BACK BIRDIES AS HOVLAND EXTENDS LEAD TO FIVE

Simply relentless. It looked at one stage that this might go right down to the wire. 

Not any more. 

Hovland rolls in another birdie on the 17th and now, he heads the 18th tee with almost the same size lead as he started the day with. Schauffele sees his effort roll past and he settles for a par. 

He's played his part and made this final round a real test for the Norwegian, but the task was just too much and he's ran out of steam on these final holes. 

UP THE LAST THEY GO...

Safely on the fairway for Hovland on the par-five 18th and he can now enjoy this final work. His work is done and he will surely be your 2023 FedEx Cup champion.

VIKTOR HOVLAND WINS THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP!

Schauffele second comes up short of the green but it's a lovely up and down to find yet another birdie. A final-round 62 is some achievement and he's pushed Hovland all the way today.

The Norwegian's second shot also comes up short, rolling back into the sand. Can he get up and down for a final birdie?

You bet he can. Remarkable golf from Hovland who himself shots a seven-under-par 63 to win the Tour Championship by five shots and claim the FedEx Cup for the first time! 

Viktor Hovland is the 2023 #FedExCup champion!This win @TOURChamp is his third victory of the season 🏆 pic.twitter.com/GRuHFLzDqT August 27, 2023

Simply remarkable golf from Hovland today. We saw last year from Scottie Scheffler how tricky it can be to close out these tournaments but the Norwegian was simply faultless and refused to take a backwards step.

A lot of credit, too, must go to Xander Schauffele who continues his magnificent record here with a final-round 62. He fell five shots short in the end but it felt and was a lot closer than that for large parts of the final round.

THANKS FOR TUNING IN!

Well, what a way to end the season. I didn't expect as entertaining a final round as that but thanks to Schauffele and Hovland we were treated to a real thriller.

Thanks for tuning in, until next time!

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The PGA Tour Championship’s wacky scoring format, explained

The PGA Tour’s season-long race for the FedEx Cup comes to an end this week at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, a tournament where the scoring gets a little twist to keep things interesting. Here’s what you need to know.

All times Eastern.

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Staggered scoring and bonus payout for tour championship at east lake.

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The FedExCup playoffs will conclude at the Tour Championship and for the second straight season, Scottie Scheffler will begin the finale with a two-stroke advantage.

Despite finishing co-runner-up at the BMW Championship, Scheffler is No. 1 in the FedExCup standings. With the staggered scoring system in place, he’ll start at East Lake at 10 under par.

BMW Championship winner Viktor Hovland, who closed in an Olympia Fields course-record 61, is second in points and opens the Tour Championship at 8 under.

Scheffler was in the same position a year ago and built a six-stroke lead through 54 holes, before closing in 75 and tying for second, behind champion Rory McIlroy.

The top 30 in FedExCup points qualified for the event. Matt Fitzpatrick was the lone player to jump inside the cut line, thanks to his play in the second playoff event. His tie for second moved him from 40th to 10th, while Chris Kirk dropped from 29th to 32nd.

There is no official purse at East Lake, but there is a $75 million bonus pool, with $18 million going to the winner.

Starting scores are based on where players stand in FedExCup points following the first two playoff events. Here’s how the field will commence the Tour Championship, along with the full bonus payout.

10 under: Scottie Scheffler

8 under: Viktor Hovland

7 under: Rory McIlroy

6 under: Jon Rahm

5 under: Lucas Glover

4 under: Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick

3 under: Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele

2 under: Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Tony Finau, Corey Conners, Si Woo Kim

1 under: Taylor Moore, Nick Taylor, Adam Schenk, Collin Morikawa, Jason Day

Even par: Sam Burns, Emiliano Grillo, Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Spieth, Sepp Straka

1. $18,000,000 2. $6,500,000 3. $5,000,000 4. $4,000,000 5. $3,000,000 6. $2,500,000 7. $2,000,000 8. $1,500,000 9. $1,250,000 10. $1,000,000 11. $950,000 12. $900,000 13. $850,000 14. $800,000 15. $760,000 16. $720,000 17. $700,000 18. $680,000 19. $660,000 20. $640,000 21. $620,000 22. $600,000 23. $580,000 24. $565,000 25. $550,000 26. $540,000 27. $530,000 28. $520,000 29. $510,000 30. $500,000

Viktor Hovland wins Tour Championship and takes FedEx Cup title

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Viktor Hovland played the best golf of his life in the final two weeks of the PGA Tour season, and it paid off Sunday with the biggest trophy of his career — a FedEx Cup title along with the $18 million bonus.

Staked to a six-shot lead, Hovland didn’t flinch under a relentless challenge from Xander Schauffele . The 25-year-old Norwegian stayed on the attack and closed with a seven-under 63 for a five-shot victory in the Tour Championship at East Lake.

Hovland capped off his best season with three victories. Even more staggering is that he played his final tournaments — the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields and the Tour Championship — in 36-under par.

Schauffele made him work for that $18 million and got to within three shots with seven holes to play. Hovland ended the suspense with a 25-foot par putt on the 14th hole, and he put Schauffele away with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 16th.

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Schauffele and Hovland put on a superb show. Playing in the last group, on a day that was delayed nearly two hours by thunderstorms, they had the best scores of the day.

Hovland was the No. 2 seed going into the Tour Championship, meaning he started at eight-under par. Hovland posted a 19-under 261 — the same score as Schauffele, who started the tournament at three-under par.

Schauffele did everything he could. He was six shots behind when he left East Lake on Saturday evening, knowing that his only hope was to put as much pressure on Hovland as he could over the front nine.

Schauffele shot 30. Hovland nearly matched him birdie for birdie, posting a 31 that included a key 15-foot par save on No. 2 after the two-hour delay from thunderstorms that slightly softened the East Lake turf.

Schauffele, for all his California chill, was simply relentless. He holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-three 11th hole and followed with a 12-foot birdie on the 12th, cutting the lead to three shots with seven holes to play.

It felt like the margin was even smaller considering how well Schauffele was playing, and Hovland having missed three birdie chances from 10 feet or closer.

The putt that mattered came at the 14th, the toughest hole at East Lake. Hovland came up short of the green, about 100 feet from the flag, and his pitch was weak and stopped just inside 25 feet from the hole.

He poured it in the heart and pumped his fist stronger than he had all day. The clincher was another pure short iron, this one to 10 feet on the 16th for birdie. At that point, the engraver went to work on the silver FedEx Cup trophy.

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Now it’s a matter of how his peers judge his season. The PGA Tour player of the year was thought to be a two-man race between Masters champion Jon Rahm and his four wins and Scottie Scheffler with The Players Championship among his two wins and the No. 1 ranking from his remarkable consistency.

Hovland ended the season with wins at the Memorial and two FedEx Cup playoff events, including the one that mattered.

U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark won the B-Flight, closing with a 65 to finish third, 11 shots behind. That was worth a $5 million bonus. Rory McIlroy had a 65 to finish fourth and collect $4 million, while Patrick Cantlay (66) was alone in fifth to earn $3 million.

The next time Hovland and Schauffele meet is for no prize money at all — the Ryder Cup in Rome in a month’s time.

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2024 PGA Championship odds, field: Surprising PGA picks from golf model that won 11 majors

Sportsline's proven model simulated the pga championship 2024 10,000 times and revealed its pga golf picks for valhalla golf club.

The second major of the season will begin on Thursday, May 16, when the 2024 PGA Championship is held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1986, Valhalla will host its fourth PGA Championship and has also hosted two Senior PGA Championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy was the winner at Valhalla the last time the club hosted a PGA Championship, defeating Phil Mickelson by a stroke in 2014. McIlroy hasn't won a major championship since despite 20 top-10 finishes, but he's one of the favorites at 10-1 in the 2024 PGA Championship odds.

Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and the 4-1 favorite in the 2024 PGA Championship futures, followed by two-time major champion Jon Rahm at 9-1. Before locking in any 2024 PGA Championship picks of your own, entering PGA DFS lineups on sites like DraftKings or FanDuel, or finalizing PGA Championship props and PGA Championship Pick Six entries, be sure to see the 2024 PGA Championship golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine .

Our proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up almost $10,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure's model correctly predicted Scottie Scheffler would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and The Players Championship this season. McClure also included Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. That bet hit at +9000, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned nearly $1,000.

The model also predicted Jon Rahm would be victorious at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022.

In addition, McClure's best bets included Nick Taylor (70-1) winning the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Jason Day (17-1) winning outright at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, and Rickie Fowler (14-1) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 11 majors entering the weekend and hit the Masters three straight years. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now with the PGA Championship 2024 field taking shape, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

Top 2024 PGA Championship predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2024 PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka, a three-time PGA champion and one of the favorites, stumbles and doesn't even crack the top 10. Koepka has five major tournament wins on his resume and a reputation for elevating his level of play in big events. However, his last two major starts haven't gone well as he was 45th at the Masters, which followed a 64th-place finish at last year's Open Championship. He's failed to shoot par in each of his last seven rounds at major tournaments.

After notching three tournament wins in 2023, including last year's PGA Championship, it has been tough sledding for Koepka in 2024. He has no victories, or even top-fives, and across his six starts, he has three times as many finishes outside the top 25 (three) as he has inside the top 10 (one). He played Valhalla at the 2014 PGA Championship and finished in a tie for 15th place, but that placement ranks just eighth out of his 11 career PGA Championship starts.

Another surprise: Will Zalatoris, a 25-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. After battling a back injury that held him out of action for nearly nine months, Zalatoris slipped outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but is back up to No. 29 following a ninth-place finish at the Masters.

It was already his third top 10 of the season and has become a fixture on the first page of the leaderboard at major championships, finishing top 10 in seven of the 10 majors that he's played since turning professional. Zalatoris finished solo second when he last teed it up at the PGA Championship in 2022 and his iron play is likely to be a deciding factor on a challenging PGA setup. The 27-year-old ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach (0.720) and was the fifth-best in that category at Augusta this year.  See who else to pick here .

How to make 2024 PGA Championship picks

The model is also targeting three other golfers with odds of 25-1 or longer to make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model's picks here .

Who will win the 2024 PGA Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the PGA Championship 2024 odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected PGA Championship leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 11 golf majors, including the last three Masters .

2024 PGA Championship odds, field

Get full 2024 PGA Championship picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler 4-1 Jon Rahm 9-1 Rory McIlroy 10-1 Ludvig Aberg 16-1 Brooks Koepka 16-1 Xander Schauffele 18-1 Viktor Hovland 20-1 Patrick Cantlay 20-1 Wyndham Clark 20-1 Cameron Smith 22-1 Joaquin Niemann 22-1 Collin Morikawa 25-1 Sam Burns 25-1 Max Homa 25-1 Matt Fitzpatrick 28-1 Tom Kim 28-1 Jordan Spieth 30-1 Bryson DeChambeau 30-1 Tony Finau 30-1 Dustin Johnson 30-1 Justin Thomas 33-1 Hideki Matsuyama 35-1 Jason Day 35-1 Cameron Young 35-1 Tommy Fleetwood 40-1 Rickie Fowler 45-1 Min Woo Lee 50-1 Sungjae Im 50-1 Shane Lowry 50-1 Tyrrell Hatton 50-1 Brian Harman 55-1 Corey Conners 60-1 Patrick Reed 65-1 Justin Rose 65-1 Russell Henley 65-1 Sahith Theegala 65-1 Keegan Bradley 75-1 Adam Scott 80-1 Talor Gooch 90-1 Gary Woodland 100-1 Kurt Kitayama 100-1 Daniel Berger 100-1 Louis Oosthuizen 125-1 Tiger Woods 125-1 Si Woo Kim 125-1 Keith Mitchell 125-1 Thomas Pieters 125-1 Abraham Ancer 125-1 J.T. Poston 125-1 Sepp Straka 125-1 Mito Pereira 150-1 Harris English 150-1 Phil Mickelson 150-1 Ryan Fox 150-1 Adam Hadwin 150-1 Sergio Garcia 150-1 Seamus Power 175-1 Denny McCarthy 175-1 Robert MacIntyre 175-1 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 175-1 Davis Riley 175-1 Aaron Wise 175-1 Marc Leishman 175-1 Billy Horschel 200-1 Harold Varner III 200-1 Jason Kokrak 200-1 Mackenzie Hughes 225-1 Francisco Molinari 225-1 Joel Dahmen 250-1

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