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Pinehurst #10 opened this week. Want to play it?

Viktor Hovland holds off Xander Schauffele to win Tour Championship

Viktor Hovland was unbeatable Sunday.

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Viktor Hovland started Sunday with an enormous lead, but he knew it wasn’t big enough to be safe at the Tour Championship , with the biggest payday in golf on the line.

Scottie Scheffler blew a six-shot lead, the same that Hovland began the day with, a year ago, and perhaps no one knew that better than Hovland’s closest chaser, Xander Schauffele. Over the past seven years, no one has played East Lake better than Schauffele.

Both players were up for the challenge.

The pair blitzed the front nine, making a combined nine birdies. But then Hovland settled down and Schauffele made his move, pulling to within three shots of Hovland after seven birdies.

But he’d have to do better than that to catch the hottest player in pro golf.

Hovland drilled a 23-foot par putt on 14 to maintain his three-shot lead and stay bogey-free, then birdied the final three holes on his way to a 63 and five-shot Tour Championship victory. The victory also means Hovland wins the season-long FedEx Cup title and the $18 million bonus that comes with it.

The 25-year-old becomes the first player to start the Tour Championship at eight under (the second-best position) since the staggered-start format was introduced in 2019. It’s the third time the top player in the FedEx Cup standings ( Scottie Scheffler the past two seasons) entering the final event failed to win the season-long race.

It also marks back-to-back wins for Hovland after he won the BMW Championship last week at Olympia Fields to jump from seventh to second in the standings. Hovland also won the Memorial Tournament earlier this summer, doubling his career win total from the start of the year.

“It’s been a great year,” Hovland said. “I feel like I’ve taken a lot of steps this season, contending in more major championships, I finally won in the U.S., I won a big tournament, Jack’s event, and honestly, after that I felt like I’ve gotten so much better and it was very pleasing to see.”

2023 Tour Championship purse: Payout info, winner’s share

Schauffele was Hovland’s only challenger all day, finishing six strokes clear of third himself, but never got closer than three shots from the Norwegian. It’s the seventh time in seven appearances Schauffele, who started this week at three under, has finished in the top-7 at the Tour Championship. With a 62 Sunday, he tied Hovland this week for the low 72-hole gross score without the starting strokes, the third time he’d done that for his career, including his win in 2017 before the format change.

He gave it just about everything he had Sunday, going out in 30, but only picking up one shot on Hovland. Both players birdied the opening hole and then were forced to sit through a nearly two-hour weather delay before finishing No. 2. Neither broke stride as Hovland went out in 31 himself.

“I didn’t do enough,” Schauffele said afterward. “I thought 62 would have let me get close to him, but I think the closest I got to was three shots back. He played unbelievably well. He made important putts and he’s just played like a champ.”

Schauffele then made back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 and even had chances to get within just two shots before Hovland made key par saves on 13 and 14 to slam the door shut.

“Even with that start I was 4-under through 6 and I still didn’t feel like I had the tournament won because there’s so much that can happen on the back nine,” Hovland said. “If I missed the putt on 14, it could have been a different story. So, yeah, it was just a long day.”

Then Hovland pulled away for good on the final three holes.

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Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at [email protected] .

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Tour Championship: Viktor Hovland holds off Xander Schauffele to claim dominant FedExCup victory

Viktor Hovland follows BMW Championship victory with five-shot win over Xander Schauffele at East Lake; Ryder Cup star ends the week on 27 under to register sixth PGA Tour title; Wyndham Clark 11 shots back in third ahead of Rory McIlroy

By Ali Stafford

Monday 28 August 2023 10:33, UK

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Viktor Hovland came through a final-round tussle with Xander Schauffele to secure FedExCup glory and an $18million payday with an impressive victory at the season-ending Tour Championship.

Hovland took a six-shot lead into the final round at East Lake and held at least a three-stroke advantage throughout the final day, although was made to work hard by Schauffele to register a sixth PGA Tour title and second in as many weeks.

The Norwegian carded seven birdies in a bogey-free 63 to end the week on 27 under and become the third-youngest FedExCup champion in history, while Schauffele had to settle for second despite a stunning final-round 62.

Final leaderboard

-27 Viktor Hovland (Nor)

-22 Xander Schauffele (USA)

Others: -16 Wyndham Clark (USA), -14 Rory McIlroy (NIrl), -13 Patrick Cantlay (USA)

• Tour Championship: Latest leaderboard | Final round as it happened
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Hovland's latest success follows his BMW Championship win on Sunday and is set to see him move to world No 4, while US Open champion Wyndham Clark grabbed third on 16 under and Rory McIlroy finished a further two strokes back in fourth after a final-round 65.

Sunday shootout at East Lake

Schauffele came into the final day six strokes back and had to hole a five-foot birdie at the first to avoid falling further behind, following Hovland rolling in from 15 feet, with the pair on the second hole when play was halted for nearly two hours due to storms.

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Hovland's first shot after the restart was to hole a 15-footer to save par, as Schauffele two-putted from the fringe and then closed the gap to five when he made an eight-foot birdie at the third.

Schauffele converted from 15 feet to match Hovland's birdie at the fourth but was unable to add another at the next, where his playing partner restored his six-shot cushion, with both then getting up and down from the sand to take advantage of the par-five sixth.

Tour Championship: Final leaderboard

Recap: Hovland's win as it happened

PGA Tour: Latest headlines and video

McIlroy 'not concerned' by back injury

Both players scrambled from off the green to save par at the seventh and Schauffele closed again with a birdie at the eighth, while Hovland completed a tough two-putt at the par-three ninth to retain a five-shot cushion at the turn.

The pair both squandered birdie looks from inside seven feet at the 10th, before Schauffele cut the gap to four when he drained a 20-foot birdie at the next and Hovland failed to convert his effort from inside eight feet.

Schauffele temporarily moved within three at the 12th after registering a seventh birdie of the day, while Hovland only retained his cushion when he responded to a clunky chip from just off the green by making a 25-footer to save par at the 14th.

Hovland reclaimed control of the tournament with back-to-back birdies from the 16th to take a five-shot lead to the last, where he splashed out of the sand to eight feet and matched Schauffele's birdie to close out victory in style.

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

Clark birdied two of his last three holes to end the week on 16 under, while McIlroy mixed seven birdies with two bogeys on the final day to card a final-round 65 and former FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay rounded off the top-five with a closing 66.

England's Tommy Fleetwood shared sixth spot with Collin Morikawa and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, with Matt Fitzpatrick in a share of ninth on 10 under and Ryder Cup hopeful Sepp Straka a further shot back in tied-14th.

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The new FedExCup Fall campaign begins with the Fortinet Championship in California from September 14-17, with the PGA Tour then taking a week off ahead of the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome from September 29-October 1. Stream the PGA Tour and more for £26 a month for 12 months with NOW .

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EVERY HOLE AT AUGUSTA

Travelers Championship

Xander Schauffele (finally) ends his PGA Tour victory drought, but not without a little luck

Tim Nwachukwu

Ask any golfer who has ever won a PGA Tour event and they’ll tell you that to ring that bell, you almost always need a little bit of luck. Sometimes you need a lot. What they don't tell you is that sometimes, you need bad luck to lose.

On a normal Sunday, Schauffele's first individual PGA Tour win in more than three years (in the interim, he won the Zurich Classic paired with Patrick Cantlay, and the Olympic gold medal) would be the story of the day. However, when the final putt fell at the Travelers Championship, there was no question that the most memorable moment belonged not to the winner, but to Sahith Theegala, who finished in a tie for second.

MORE: The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the Travelers

After draining an impressive 10-foot birdie putt on 17 to take a one-shot lead on Schauffele, Theegala, a 24-year-old former college player of the year at Pepperdine turned tour rookie, hit a drive on 18 at TPC River Highlands that didn't cut the way he wanted, and got the worst possible break when the ball ran through a bunker to the very front edge. He had a decision to make; rather than play passively, risk bogey and watch his dream of a first tour win evaporate with a Schauffele birdie, he judged that he had enough room to clear the lip and keep the pressure on his opponent behind him.

So, with Schauffele looking on from the tee, Theegala took a crack at the most difficult option, and when the cloud of sand had cleared … the ball was almost right where he left it.

Theegala played it safer then, and hit a solid pitch to 12 feet to give himself a bogey look. Then, as if the sand fiasco wasn't enough heartbreak for one hole, this happened:

Schauffele had already striped his drive 338 yards down the right side of the fairway, and with that double bogey from Theegala, it was all over—he simply had to reach the green from 105 yards away and two-putt. He did better, making birdie to reach 19 under and win by the deceptive margin of two shots.

The pain is doubly acute for Theegala because of how well he played the rest of the round. Coming off a 64 on Saturday, he played bogey free through 17 holes, holing two long putts on the front nine to go out in 33, and dialing in his best play for the closing stretch by making a tap-in birdie on the par-5 13th, driving the green on the par-4 15th, and then burying the clutch 10-footer on 17 that seemed to give him the edge he'd need to win. Everything seemed to be building to a Sunday tour de force for a guy who had every right to feel nervous, and then it all blew up.

"Never in a million years did I think I would allow myself to blade it," Theegala said afterward. "All I had to do was chunk it. We even said, like, this is a 50/50 ball in terms of I got to try and just basically hit it just a hair behind it. Somehow my body just, I just straight bladed it. I had room there. I don't know how it looked, but I had room there. Just didn't think I would let myself blade it. But I guess the moment was...and then from there it's, like, got to try and make 5 now. Had a little more room. And I did the same thought process. I nearly bladed it again."

MORE: The prize money payouts from the Travelers

On social media, where Theegala had generated a good deal of buzz Sunday, there were rampant questions about the choice to use driver (same with the CBS broadcast booth), the aggression in the sand, and the general mindset on 18. Theegala, however, stood by his play when asked what he might do differently if given a second chance.

"Nothing," he said. "I did everything I thought I had to do, and it just happened to be everything bad culminated on one hole."

Sahith Theegala reacts to a missed bogey putt on the 18th green during the final round at TPC River Highlands.

Michael Reaves

Schauffele, the 54-hole leader, was playing with Cantlay, his friend and partner from both the Ryder Cup and the Zurich Classic. Cantlay's day quickly developed into a nightmare, with three birdies in his first four holes, and it never got much better. After starting one off the lead, he finished with a 76, the second-worst score on the course Sunday, but it didn't seem to faze Schauffele. He was steady, if unspectacular, atoning for a bogey on 2 with a 15-foot birdie on 4 and a 10-footer on 6. It was mostly pars from there on out, and the final birdie on 18 gave him a two-under 68 on the day.

It's an important win for Schauffele, who has been a top-15 player in the world for years now (his highest ranking was fourth, though he has slipped over the past year), but who, despite winning that gold medal in Tokyo and his pairs successes, had begun to develop a reputation for coming up short on Sundays (he was 0-for-4 in his career previously when trying to convert a 54-hole lead into a W). When a moderator joked with him in the post-round interview about how long it had been since his last win, he responded, "don't remind me."

"It feels really good," he said of his long-awaited triumph. "Everyone talks about how hard it is, and I only had the Olympics to sort of fall back on having a [54-hole] lead and kind of closing it. I've never done it on the PGA Tour. ... I mean to do it in Japan and then sort of have that experience, I really tapped into that today."

He spoke about staying in the moment, and how that hasn't always been his best skill.

Schauffele didn't need any reminding that he hadn't won an individual title on the PGA Tour since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

"I think it's probably something that's been more developed," he said. "I haven't really had a hard time focusing growing up. My wife tells me I'm the worst multi-tasker on the planet, so that usually bodes well if you can only focus on one thing. I think in the past when I had 54-hole leads or close to the lead, my Sundays feel really fast. And I'd be kind of sitting back in the hotel or at a house on Sunday sort of thinking, 'what happened today?'"

Schuaffele adjusted this week by attempting what so many professional golfers strive for and fail to achieve, which is the simple task of staying present and bringing full attention to every shot. He told his caddie Austin Kaiser to hold him accountable, and together they dialed in early and did enough to win.

Nearly lost in the late drama was the incredible performance of the 20-year-old amateur Michael Thorbjornsen, the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur winner and rising junior at Stanford who made the field on a sponsor's exemption after playing in the U.S. Open last week . He was the 2021 Massachusetts Amateur champion and playing in front of a home New England crowd in Cromwell, Conn. Not only did he make the cut (after an MC at The Country Club), but came closer than most predicted from winning the whole thing. A front-nine 31 on Sunday had him crawling up the leaderboard, and he followed that with two straight birdies on 10 and 11 to move just one back of Schuaffele. He finally cooled off, making bogey on 12 and 13 before five straight pars to end his round, but the final result was 15 under and solo fourth. That's the highest finish for an amateur at the Travelers Championship.

"It was incredible," he said. "It was surreal. ... It's better than how I dreamt about it. It's so loud. It was very welcoming. I can't wait to come back next year and the following years."

Rory McIlroy, who co-led after a first-round 62, which ended up being tied with J.T. Poston for the best score of the week, followed two days of fading with a Sunday 67 to finish T-19. Poston fared better, closing with a 64 to tie Theegala for second. It's Poston's best finish on tour since a solo second at the 2021 Barbasol Championship.

The lingering image for this year's Travelers, though, will be Theegala's shot out of the sand on 18, and though he'll do his best to put it behind him—he seems to have very few regrets, which is a good start—he did let the armor down for a moment when a journalist asked if he was still in shock.

"I don't know what ... yeah," he said. "I don't know what you want. Do you want me to say no to that? Yes, I am. Thank you."

When the bad luck hits, and it's this expensive, it's hard to figure out how to be anything but dazed.

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Scheffler starts with Tour Championship lead and expands it

Scottie Scheffler tees off on the sixteenth hole during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the fifth hole during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt on the eighth green during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Xander Schauffele watches his shot on the seventh green during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Xander Schauffele hits off the second tee during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, and Cameron Smith, of Australia, wait to tee off on the sixth hole during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Rory McIlroy reacts after his tee shot on the second hole during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

082522 Atlanta, Ga.: Rory McIlroy hits to the first green during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Matt Fitzpatrick, of England, watches his shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Wilmington Country Club, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The East Lake Golf Club house, background, is visible as Justin Thomas hits his second shot on the eighth fairway during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Tony Finau hits from the bunker to the 18th green during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Cameron Smith hits out of the bunker on the first hole during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

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ATLANTA (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler might have had a roller coaster of an opening round Thursday at the Tour Championship if only he had been paying attention to the scoreboards.

Scheffler started with a two-shot lead as the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup. He led by as many as six shots on the front nine. Then his lead was down to two. And when he finished with three straight birdies for a 5-under 65, he was five strokes ahead of Xander Schauffele.

“I didn’t know any of that,” he said. “I was just trying to go out and shoot a good number.”

Rory McIlroy’s day at East Lake was far more wild. And he knew it.

A two-time FedEx Cup champion, McIlroy started six shots behind. He teed off in a downpour and hooked his tee shot over the fence and out-of-bounds. He reloaded and found a bunker. He missed a 6-foot putt and took triple bogey, and just like that was nine shots behind.

And then he went rough-to-rough to make bogey on the next hole. McIlroy had only one par on the front nine and remarkably salvaged a 67.

“Not the best way to start,” McIlroy said. “The golf course is really gettable, so I knew there was a lot of holes out there that you could birdie. I knew my game was good. It was just one of those things. Not the ideal way to start, but proud of how I bounced back from that.”

Equally impressive was British Open champion Cameron Smith, playing for the first time since the opening FedEx Cup playoffs event because of a hip injury that gets aggravated in soft conditions. East Lake wasn’t quite a real lake, but overnight rain and the downpour made for a good walk spoiled.

He still managed a 67 and joined McIlroy at eight shots back. They were a curious attraction because McIlroy has been the biggest voice for the PGA Tour and its battle with Saudi-funded LIV Golf, and reports indicate Smith will be the next to go.

Inside the ropes, it’s golf.

“Business as usual,” McIlroy said. “Cam and I get on really well — always have done. Again, I keep saying no matter what decisions are made or what choices are made by anyone, it doesn’t make them a bad person. Does it make me disagree with them? Of course it does. But I disagree with a lot of people that I like and love.”

And so began the final leg in the chase for the FedEx Cup and the $18 million prize. Scheffler has had the best year with his Masters victory among three wins against strong fields. He would love nothing more than to finish it off, and he played that way.

His 3-iron from 230 yards up the hill to 15 feet led to eagle on the sixth hole. He dropped only one shot, going from bunker over the green at the par-3 ninth and having to make an understated 10-foot putt to escape with bogey.

And then he had a big finish, capped off by going from the left rough over the water to 30 feet for a two-putt birdie to reach 15-under par (which accounts for his 10-under start).

U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick finished with an eagle for a bogey-free 64 and was six shots behind — he matched the best round of the soggy day and gained only one shot on Scheffler — while Joaquin Niemann (64) and defending champion Patrick Cantlay (70) were another shot behind.

Schauffele is dangerous as ever, and his record at East Lake is astounding for someone who has never left Atlanta in possession of a trophy. This was his 21st round in the Tour Championship, and his 19th round under par. The other two were even-par 70s.

He had the low 72-hole score in 2020 but started too far behind to catch Dustin Johnson.

“It’s a weird event,” Schauffele said. “We do this once a year, and it’s one of the bigger events for us to do it. Because of those things, you just have to try your best to stay in the present and not get ahead of it. Tuck your head and play your best golf.”

Weirder still was an injury that Scheffler mentioned from the weekend at the British Open, where he went into Sunday in the mix and shot 74. He had never disclosed it and wasn’t entirely comfortable getting into the details except to say he was in pain.

“I had what’s called a pilonidal infection. It’s an infection at the top of your butt crack,” he said, trying not to crack a smile. “You can look it up. It was really hard for me to bend down. It was really hard for me to make a swing on Sunday. Walking was actually extremely difficult.

“Just one of those things that happened.”

All part of what already has been a remarkable year, and now is 54 holes away from becoming even more memorable.

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Xander Schauffele’s psychotic streak at Tour Championship you won’t believe has him contending again

Xander Schauffele owns East Lake, site of this week’s Tour Championship. He played great again Friday and is contending there again.

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ATLANTA — Xander Schauffele should be named the owner of East Lake Golf Club .

Every time he steps foot on the property for the Tour Championship , he dominates the place.

He did so again Friday, carding a bogey-free, 6-under 64 to shoot up the leaderboard and into contention for the FedEx Cup, just as our editor, Kendall Capps, predicted . He is now 12-under for the tournament.

“You have to sort of plot around the property well, and if you can get your putter going, the greens are so pure you feel like you can start rolling anything in,” Schauffele said Friday. “It just fits my eye... I play pretty well [here], and I will need more of that magic here on the weekend.”

Schauffele has invoked magic upon East Lake for his entire career. Since his first Tour Championship in 2017, Schauffele has played 26 rounds. His scoring average is 67.11, which ranks lowest in PGA Tour history among those players with at least 10 career rounds at East Lake.

What is even crazier about Schauffele’s dominance is he has never carded an over-par score at the Tour Championship.

The key to dominating East Lake, according to Schauffele, is finding the short grass.

“If you’re hitting the fairway, you can be [aggressive],” Schauffele said. “But the course will eat you alive if you’re not in the fairway. You can manage your way around the property, but for the most part, if you try to run up this leaderboard, you have to start from the fairway.”

Schauffele found 8-of-14 fairways Friday, which is not great, but he still led the field in overall strokes gained during the second round.

He made six birdies , and he found the short grass on each of those holes.

Going right at it @XSchauffele | @TOURChamp pic.twitter.com/WD7IldienV — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2023

But the former San Diego State Aztec teetered on the brink of disaster down the stretch.

“The ending was a little bit of a scramble,” he admitted. “I made a couple of nice mid-range putts on 16 and 18. That par on 17 was big for me.”

At the dogleg left par-4 17th, Schauffele hooked one well left of the fairway and was obscured by trees.

He hit his second shot into the front bunker but easily got up and down from there.

That is how players ‘manage’ their way around East Lake, taking their medicine from mishits and playing for pars when needed.

But Schauffele will have to play for birdies on Saturday, as he faces a four-shot deficit to Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa after 36 holes of play.

“I just [have to] keep my head down,” he said. “I look up at the [leaderboard], and I’m just barely picking up ground, so I still [have] a lot to do.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.

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Xander Schauffele

Although born in La Jolla, California, he belongs to four nationalities. His mother is from Taiwan (but grew up in Japan) and is father is half-French and half-German.

Plays out of Bernardo Heights Country Club in San Diego.

Is part of golf's high school Class of 2011 that includes, among others, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger.

His father, Stefan, was an elite athlete in Germany before he was hit by a drunk-driver in a head-on collision which ended his dreams of being an Olympic athlete.

Although born in La Jolla, California, he belongs to four nationalities. His mother is from Chinese Taipei (but grew up in Japan) and is father is half-French and half-German.

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Xander Schauffele Leads Players Championship By One, Eyes Biggest Title of Career

• Author: Alex Miceli

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Xander Schauffele has seven wins on his resume, eight if you include the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, but entering Sunday’s final round of the Players Championship Schauffele is on the cusp of perhaps his most prestigious title since joining the Tour in 2016.

After a bogey-free third-round 65, which matched his score in Thursday’s opening round, the 30-year-old sits on top of leaderboard at a TPC Sawgrass course where he has previously struggled. He had missed three consecutive cuts here before a T19 finish last year.

18 holes to go: Xander Schauffele takes a one-shot lead into Sunday at Sawgrass.

He erased a four-shot deficit to Wyndham Clark and leads by one, thanks to a textbook four-birdie performance on the front nine and what Schauffele called a bit of a grind on the back nine. But he found ways to keep the bogey-free round intact.

“I only hit two fairways on the back nine,” Schauffele said. “I was just told that on radio. Don't feel bad for me. When you make 58-footers, you kind of get up-and-down on holes like 18 from the front rough, it takes a little bit of stress off certain parts of your game.”

The 58-footer came on the par-4 14th, where Clark was inside the leather and no doubt mentally writing down a three before Schauffele’s bomb gave him the lead for the first time.

Clark badly mishit his tee shot on the island green 17th hole and when it splashed 15 yards short, Schauffele regained the lead he had lost the hole before. He would hold on with a clutch up-and-down par at 18.

“I'd say it was kind of more how I carried myself,” Schauffele said. “At times in the past I'll get a bit ahead of myself and lose a little bit of confidence when I shouldn't. Today I tried to stay in my own little box there with (his caddy) Austin and not look at too many leaderboards when I didn't have to, just because it's Saturday, there's no need to do that. I heard roars all around the property and I really just kind of stayed in my lane.”

A positive vibe can only go so far, and after hitting only two fairways on the back nine, Schauffele hit the range after the round.

“I think there's still a few things I'm not super comfortable with,” Schauffele said of his work with Chris Como, his new swing coach. “We talk about it all the time. But a steady drip carves a stone and we both believe that's the case, and that's what we're going to do.”

The stone to carve on Sunday won’t be easy. He’s had seven career 54-hole lead or co-leads in individual stroke-play events. He’s converted two of them into victory.

“It could be low tomorrow, but for the most part I'm going to try and enjoy myself and stay in my lane,” Schauffele said.

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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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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Here are my picks for this week’s Masters at August Nationals, which begins Thursday

Xander Schauffele

He’s won seven times on the PGA Tour and is seeking his first major. He’s finished in the top 10 in majors 11 times, and seven of those have been in the top six, six in the top five.

He’s ready and in a good head space.

This week is his time.

Scottie Scheffler

It’s difficult to pick against him considering he won the 2022 Masters and enters this week as the No. 1 ranked player and he’s won two of his past three starts with the one non-win a runner-up.

He looks almost infallible as the leader in almost every ball-striking statistic on the PGA Tour.

Brooks Koepka

You cannot ignore Koepka as the sport’s top big-game hunter when it comes to majors.

He finished runner-up last year, his second runner-up at the Masters.

He’s already bagged two U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships.

Maybe this is his time at Augusta.

The defending champion comes to Augusta as a member of LIV Golf and will have a chip on his shoulder for the criticism he’s gotten for making the jump for the money.

Will Zalatoris

He was runner-up at the 2021 Masters, and after a year of back surgery and rehab, he entered the week with solid results — T13, T2 and T4 earlier in the year.

He played with Tiger Woods on Monday and picked his brain.

Ludvig Aberg

Sure, this is his first Masters and no first-timer has won since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

But this 24-year-old Swede is good.

He led the Valero field in Strokes gained: tee-to-green last week and has performed well in pressure situations, as evidenced by his Ryder Cup debut last fall.

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Masters 2024 props, golf odds: Expert reveals top PGA Tour prop bets, parlay picks for Augusta National

Mike mcclure locked in his expert pga golf prop picks and parlay for the masters 2024 at augusta national.

The 2024 Masters has arrived, with play beginning at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET. Scottie Scheffler is the 13-4 favorite, while Rory McIlroy is 10-1 to complete the career grand slam. However, outright betting is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Masters betting and there are plenty of 2024 Masters props you can play to add variety to your tickets. There are 18 past champions in the 2024 Masters field and one of the 2024 Masters prop bets being offered is for a former green jacket winner to win again at +180.

Will anyone add to their Masters legacy, or will one of the other 71 players competing at Augusta break through for their first green jacket? Before locking in your 2024 Masters prop picks or entering Masters pool picks, you need to see what SportsLine DFS pro and PGA expert Mike McClure has to say . 

McClure is a DFS legend with over $2 million in career winnings, and he's been red-hot on his PGA picks dating back to the PGA Tour restart in June of 2020. McClure uses his proprietary simulation model to analyze the field and crush his  golf picks . He is up almost $9,500 on his best bets since the restart.  

McClure's model predicted Jon Rahm would finish on top of the leaderboard 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. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022. 

This same model has also nailed a whopping 10 majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed McClure's picks has seen massive returns.  

Now, McClure has dialed in on the Masters golf tournament and just locked in his top prop picks and PGA predictions. You can only see McClure's Masters 2024 prop picks at SportsLine .

Top 2024 Masters prop picks

We can tell you that one of McClure's favorite Masters prop picks is Ludvig Aberg to be the top debutant at +275. Aberg will be one of 20 players making their debut at Augusta National this week and the list includes talents who figure to be regulars at Augusta like Wyndham Clark, Nick Dunlap, Akshay Bhatia, Nicolai Hojgaard and Jake Knapp.

However, Aberg might be the biggest star of the bunch. After a career at Texas Tech, he turned professional last June and earned a spot on the European Ryder Cup team by September, becoming the first player in history to earn a Ryder Cup spot before competing in a major. Aberg already has wins at the Omega European Masters (DP World Tour) and RSM Classic (PGA Tour) and owns a well-rounded game suited for the challenges presented by Augusta.  You can see who else to back at SportsLine .

How to make Masters 2024 prop picks

McClure has also locked in a slew of other prop bets for the 2024 Masters, including a prop that pays almost 20-1 and comes from an unlikely player. You can find out who it is, and check out all of McClure's Masters prop picks at SportsLine .

Who wins the Masters 2024, and which golfer should you target for almost a 20-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike McClure's Masters 2024 prop picks, all from the golf expert who is up almost $9,500 on his best bets since 2020 , and find out.

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15 men brought to military enlistment office after mass brawl in Moscow Oblast

Local security forces brought 15 men to a military enlistment office after a mass brawl at a warehouse of the Russian Wildberries company in Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast on Feb. 8, Russian Telegram channel Shot reported .

29 people were also taken to police stations. Among the arrested were citizens of Kyrgyzstan.

A mass brawl involving over 100 employees and security personnel broke out at the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal on Dec. 8.

Read also: Moscow recruits ‘construction brigades’ from Russian students, Ukraine says

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