Viktor Hovland hopes Norway’s World Cup quarter-final against the Three Lions leaves the England players in the field at this week’s Scottish Open in tears.

After beating Brazil, next up for Erling Haaland and co is England in what promises to be an intriguing last-eight clash.

Thomas Tuchel’s side got the better of co-hosts Mexico in a thrilling contest to reach the quarters and will be well aware of the threat posed by Norway and, in particular, Manchester City striker Haaland.

Hovland admits he is not a big football fan but that it has been “really cool to be a part of” such a great run in football’s biggest event.

Asked if he expects some banter from the English guys in action at the Renaissance Club this week, Hovland said: “Yeah, we'll see. I feel like it's a very sensitive subject for them, so it might cut a little too deep there if I push too hard.

“But yeah, I hope they lose and come crying out on Sunday morning.”

Norway are likely to have a good chunk of the Scottish people willing them onto victory on Saturday, with Hovland also teasing the possibility of the viral Viking Row on the first tee on Sunday if the result goes against England.

“Let's do it on Sunday,” he added. “That would be great. First tee, we're doing the rowing.”

After coming through a tough spell, Hovland looks to have returned to something like his best form.

He took down Scottie Scheffler at the Travelers Championship when he last teed it up and he will be hoping to maintain that form this week and take it into next week’s Open at Royal Birkdale.

“Results-wise, I had a nice week that week but it's been very up-and-down,” Hovland said. “It feels like kind of the last few years I've taken one step forward, one step back, two forward, one back, one back again.

“So it's been frustrating mentally to go through that. But I really do feel like not just because I've won last week but I've been seeing the results in practice and things going the right direction, and that makes it a lot more fun to show up to the golf course.

"I think I'm just a bit more relaxed, not as stressed out, feel like I have to find something this week. I know that what I'm already doing is good enough.

“Obviously I want to still continue to improve because I still feel like there's things left to improve but at the same time, I don't have to go and find it as much as I felt like before.”

Hovland gets going alongside Wyndham Clark and Eugenio Chacarra on the 10th tee at 8.39am on Thursday.

There was a Norwegian invasion at the Travelers Championship as fans heading to the World Cup stopped in to cheer on Viktor Hovland and Kristoffer Reitan - and it worked a treat!

Norway supporters have made a big impact on the World Cup with their 'Viking Row' celebration - and the team has done pretty well too with two wins from two and Erling Haaland banging in the goals.

Hovland and Reitan watched Norway beat Senegal in New York on Tuesday before making the short trip to Connecticut - and so too did plenty of Norwegian fans, on their way to Boston for their next game against France on Friday.

We've seen the likes of Scotland fans taking in some baseball during the World Cup, and now Norwegian fans stormed TPC River Highlands to back both Reitan and Hovland - even treating them to the Viking Row a few times.

And it worked - as Hovland shot 65 and Reitan one better with a 64 in the opening round on Thursday.

Each one was treated to some huge roars with every birdie, while both Hovland and Reitan had the Viking Row celebration after finishing their rounds.

"I think the games and the golf events setup quite nicely, so they can make a pit stop here for the interested fans or the golf-interested fans," said Reitan.

"So it sets up quite nicely for that. And it's cool for them to make a pit stop here and for me to experience a miniature version of what the football players get to experience."

Both men mingled with the Norway fans after their rounds and posed for pictures, with World Cup fever finally finding a way into golf after appearing in a number of other sports across America.

Reitan and Hovland were obviously boosted by watching their country win against Senegal to ensure a last 32 spot in Norway's first World Cup appearance since 1998.

"It was unbelievable," said Reitan. "For me, I haven't seen Norway in the World Cup for my whole life, so it was awesome.

"The crowds are amazing, the team was performing excellent. Yeah, it was an experience I'll remember for the rest of my life."

Viktor Hovland has long been a very private person and was single for a very long time... but not anymore.

The Norwegian star has often joked about being the only single player in Europe's Ryder Cup team. Most golf fans will remember the iconic photo in 2023, where wives and girlfriends joined the likes of Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, while Hovland laid on the ground in front of them all.

He recreated the joke again in 2025, with Hovland embracing Jose Maria Olazabal instead of having a girlfriend to hug.

But, if his new relationship stays the course, Hovland will be able to end that lonesome tradition at Adare Manor next year.

At Augusta National this year, during the famous Par-3 Contest, Hovland hard-launched his girlfriend and it got everyone talking.

His partner, Tuva Dahl Jensen, took on caddie duties for the 28-year-old, and the pair were seen kissing in a very rare display of public affection from Hovland.

Perhaps most romantic of all, Hovland even let Tuva hit a putt at the contest, and she almost sunk it from long range, too.

Jensen is a 27-year-old school teacher who works at Children's International School, an institute located just outside Oslo in Norway.

No one knows how the pair met, or how long they've actually been together, however, the fact he introduced Jensen to the golfing world prior to The Masters suggests this is a fairly serious relationship.

Jensen hails from Fredrikstad in Norway, and has a twin brother, called Ola. Her father, Atle, is a performer in the theatrical world of revue, while her mother, Jeanett's career is unknown.

The unveiling of Hovland's mystery woman had social media ablaze with discussion and theories, with one account dubbing them a "new power couple."

Jensen was rather quickly identified after the Par-3 Contest thanks to Norwegian outlet Dagbladet.

Hovland was previously dubbed "forever single" among those who knew him on the PGA Tour, but that little nickname will have to be put aside now.

Norway's Viktor Hovland admitted the situation caused by his withdrawal from the Singles session at last month's Ryder Cup was "pretty upsetting" but suggested the "spirit of the Ryder Cup" means there is no reason to alter the current 'Envelope Rule.'

Hovland suffered a neck injury midway through the second day at Bethpage Black which caused him to not only miss the Saturday afternoon fourballs but also led to just 11 singles matches taking place on Sunday.

The World No.13's inability to play led to the 'Envelope Rule' being implemented, with both teams given half a point each and Harris English forced to sit out as Team USA's nominated pro.

Europe just about withstood a major fightback by the home side on the final day and held on to win the Ryder Cup - a result which would not have changed even if English and Hovland had battled it out on course.

Nevertheless, plenty of people were left feeling frustrated as a result of Hovland's injury - an emotion that the Norwegian fully understood.

Speaking ahead of his first competitive appearance since at the DP World India Championship, Hovland said: "The whole situation was pretty upsetting, just the fact that I didn't get to play, and I felt really bad for Harris, who also didn't get to play a match, even though there was nothing wrong with him.

"He just didn't get to play, and he was upset about that, and I feel very bad for not being able to compete."

Hovland's withdrawal early on Sunday pushed the score from 11.5 - 4.5 to 12-5, reducing Team Europe's required total to retain the Ryder Cup from 2.5 points to just two whole points from 11 matches.

Should Solheim Cup rules have been in place, Team USA would have received the full point and nerves would have been shaking far later than Shane Lowry's match several hours later.

While many alternative ideas were pitched in the aftermath of the battle at Bethpage Black, Hovland suggested the current parameters are probably the lesser of all evils and cited the Ryder Cup spirit as insurance against players dropping out without just cause.

Asked if he would change anything about the Envelope Rule, Hovland replied: "It's tough. I think we're so used to in sports that if you can't play because you're hurt, obviously that should be a loss of point.

"But I think in the spirit of the Ryder Cup and the spirit of the game and the history of it, knowing that this Ryder Cup is just a part of many, many Ryder Cups to come, I think it's more of a gentlemen's agreement that 'okay, you were hurt this time and maybe the next time there's a guy on the US team,' and we're all kind of sympathetic about the person being hurt and not being able to play.

"I think there's kind of a mutual understanding that if we were healthy we would all go out there and play. I don't think people are using that to really finagle the system and try and squeak by.

"Also to the other point, if you do change the rule and you give away a point, now there's also the angle that okay, knowing that the other team is going to put out their best player most likely in the first few groups, they can just kind of put me out as a sacrificial lamb and take the L against their best player.

"So there's other ways around it, and I think -- I don't think there's any ideal way to do it. I think that's just a better way overall to do it, even though it's just a tough situation, and at the end of the day, I think we'd all be wanting to go out there and play."

Meanwhile, Hovland also admitted he was forced into a late decision over whether he would even play this week's DP World India Championship as a result of the neck injury he sustained during last month's Ryder Cup.

The seven-time PGA Tour winner revealed the extent of his layoff after the biennial team event and suggested the timing of this event on such a tight course may have actually helped his decision.

Hovland said: "Yeah, took about a week and a half off after the Ryder Cup and didn't really touch a club, and then was kind of running out of time a little bit to make a decision if I wanted to come here or not.

"I played two 18-hole rounds in a row back-to-back, and my neck felt okay, so I decided to fly over here and give it a chance.

"I think one of the big things, you don't have to hit driver out here, very much at least. That definitely helps my neck because it's definitely the driver, I think, that gives me the biggest amount of pain. Hopefully we'll stick to the 3-iron, and the neck will be fine."

Hovland is set to tee off alongside Rory McIlroy and Ben Griffin in rounds one and two at Delhi Golf Club.

Norway's Viktor Hovland has been forced to withdraw from his Ryder Cup singles match on Sunday because of injury.

Hovland was experiencing discomfort in his neck during Saturday's action and had received treatment during his foursomes match alongside Robert MacIntyre in the morning.

He was then due to return to the course at Bethpage Black and partner Matt Fitzpatrick in the afternoon fourballs session before pulling out at the 11th hour and being replaced by Tyrrell Hatton.

The seven-time PGA Tour winner was taken to a New York hospital to undergo an MRI scan on Saturday evening and was tended to by European Ryde Cup medics for the remainder of the day.

However, after waking up and realizing he was unable to move his neck - which failed to loosen sufficiently during a short warm-up - the 28-year-old made the difficult decision to inform Luke Donald he would be withdrawing.

In a statement from Ryder Cup Europe, Hovland said: “There is nothing more I would like to do than be out there representing Team Europe and trying to help them win the Ryder Cup today.

"Not being able to do so is pretty heartbreaking. I will be backing my team as hard as I can and rooting them on.”

Speaking before the singles matches began, Donald said of Hovland: "Yeah, he started stiffening up yesterday morning. Tried to go out in the afternoon but got worse and worse. Got an MRI last night.

"Really, really stiff this morning. Tried to go through his warm up and just couldn’t play. So yeah, he’s devastated. He’s gutted. He wants to go out there and represent Team Europe. Yeah, it’s very, very unfortunate."

Further explaining the issue bothering Hovland, Dr Andrew Murray - Ryder Cup Europe’s Chief Medical Officer - said: “Viktor’s pain started during the [Saturday] morning foursomes, where he received treatment and medication from the physio and medical team on course during the match.

"Following this he attempted to warm up for Saturday fourballs, but experienced increasing pain while swinging a golf club, and a lack of range of movement in his neck and withdrew, being replaced by Tyrrell Hatton.

“An MRI was arranged following liaison between Team Europe and PGA of America on-site medical team, which confirmed a flare up of a previous injury - a disc bulge in his neck by a medical imaging specialist.

"This morning, Viktor received ongoing treatment but unfortunately he is not able to rotate or flex his neck to one side making playing the singles impossible.”

As a result of Hovland being forced to sit out the final day, the Ryder Cup's substitution rule (3.d) has been enacted.

Rule 3.d states: "When the Captain’s lodge their team selection for singles play, they must provide a sealed envelope containing the name of one player who is regarded as having been paired with a player who, through illness, injury or other emergency reason, has to withdraw from the other side.

"Such pairing is regarded as a tied match. If this requires the re-pairing of a match, this will be done down the order of the play.”

Keegan Bradley nominated Harris English as the unfortunate party, with the pair's match - which had been the final one to begin on Sunday - automatically ending in a half.

Consequently, Europe led 12-5 before any singles matches began and only required two full points to retain the Ryder Cup or 2.5 points to clinch it outright once again.

Hovland, who had been managing the neck problem since withdrawing from the Travelers Championship in June, had shown some excellent form towards the back end of the PGA Tour season with three top-12 finishes in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

He then continued that play for Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup and had contributed one point from two matches, helping MacIntyre see off Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley prior to his injury flare up.

The former Oklahoma State golfer has an overall record of 3-4-3 in Ryder Cup matches since making his debut at Whistling Straits in 2021 and was undefeated in singles (1-0-1).

Norwegian Viktor Hovland has begun finding his feet again this year after a disappointing 2024 campaign. He failed to win for the first time in his career across a single season last year and carded a career-low in top 10s.

Since his first win of the season at the Valspar Championship, Hovland seems to be getting back closer to his best.

The Ryder Cup star is yet to miss a cut since his win in Florida, something he failed to do in four of the six tournaments he played in previous to lifting the trophy at Innisbrook.

Earlier this year, in an interview with Espen Blaker of Eurosport, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion revealed he switched the make of his footwear - and for a very interesting reason.

He said, "I’ve gone back to some old Nike shoes. I feel I can read the slopes of the greens better with my feet.

"They are so light, and actually a bit unstable, compared to the Puma shoes I’ve been using for a while now.

“These are the ones I’ve played with for much of my career, so I’m very familiar with them. I feel like I read the greens much better, which makes me much more comfortable with the ball.”

The shoes in question are the Nike Roshe Golf shoes, which he has worn for the majority of his career barring a spell with Puma Golf.

Helping him with his AimPoint technique when reading the greens, this change seemed to have ended to an exclusive shoe-only deal he signed with Puma only last year in April.

The change of footwear may or may not be helping, but it was certainly a big decision to make on his way back to the top of the game.

What Is AimPoint?

AimPoint Express is a way of predicting where to aim when putting. There's a lot of optical illusions on putting greens, and from testing thousands and thousands of golfers of varying abilities, people see about 50 percent of the correct aim line. 

So, if we were to do an aim test with a subsection of golfers, and there's two-foot of break, they'd all be happy aiming at about one-foot. Visually, everyone under-reads putts by around 50 percent. So, AimPoint enables players to quickly learn where to aim by feeling slopes.

The ball breaks differently across different values of slopes, so we teach people to measure that and then use it to read a putt. So, simply, it's a system of knowing where to aim.

Read more: What Is AimPoint In Golf And How Does It Work? Find Out If Switching Could Make You A Better Putter...

Currently in contention at the 2025 US Open at Oakmont Country Club, Viktor Hovland is poised to challenge for the third Major Championship.

Turning pro in 2019 and gaining his PGA Tour card in 2020, he has already racked up seven wins in America. To add to that, he won the FedEx Cup in 2023 and enjoyed a prolonged spell in the top five of the Official World Golf Ranking.

There is just one thing missing though... a Major trophy.

The Norwegian has come close to adding one of the four esteemed titles to his trophy cabinet. In 2023, he came T2 at the PGA Championship and finished T4 at the 150th Open in 2022.

Viktor Hovland's Best Major Finishes:

• 2023 PGA Championship - T2
• 2024 PGA Championship - 3
• 2023 Masters - T7
• 2022 Open Championship - T4
• 2021 Open Championship - T12
• 2019 US Open - T12

Hovland has struggled since his successful campaign in 2023, winning just once since, at the 2025 Valspar Championship. In his 12 starts so far this year, that win was his only top ten and he has also missed four cuts.

After injury that cut short his 2024 season and breaking from coach Joe Mayo, marking their second split in just 15 months, he struggled to kick on from his FedEx Cup success. He failed to win for the first time in his career across a single season and carded a career-low in top 10s.

However, Hovland is starting to find some form again and is looking much like his old self. This year he is 9th for Strokes Gained: Approach The Green and 20th for Birdie Average, on the PGA Tour.

His iron play and putting have been magnificent throughout the third Major so far, and if both continue, he will be well in the mix to win come Sunday.

After the second round, he said, "I've definitely felt better about it (swing). But still haven't been overly confident in my ball-striking up until recently.

"But last week we saw some really good progress, and earlier this week was very happy with some of the shots that I was hitting out there in the practice rounds. Super excited that I was able to take that out with me in the tournament.

"Yeah, for some reason I've just been in a really nice mental state this week. It's like, both my rounds have been very up and down.

"I feel like a couple times if it would have happened at another tournament, for example, I could have potentially lost my mind there a little bit. But I felt like I kept things together very well."

In 2019, the European Ryder Cup star finished in T12 at the US Open and was the low-amateur at Pebble Beach. It was his first Major as a professional and is his best result in the tournament.

Current PGA Tour Players Yet To Win A Major

He isn't the only star name not to win a Major so far in his career. The likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler, who are renowned names on the PGA Tour, are just two of a long list of players yet to pick up one of the four big men's trophies.

Fowler for instance has come second in three of the four, with his best PGA Championship finsh being third.

Tommy Fleetwood also has two second places at both the US Open and Open Championship and has top-fives in all four tournaments.

Here's a list of a number of the current tour players yet to win a Major, some of which may surprise you:

Notable PGA Tour Players Who Haven't Yet Won A Major:

• Viktor Hovland
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Ludvig Aberg
• Patrick Cantlay
• Rickie Fowler
• Tony Finau
• Sam Burns
• Russell Henley
• Min Woo Lee
• Sepp Straka

Notable LIV Golf Players Who Haven't Yet Won A Major:

• Joaquin Niemann
• Marc Leishman
• Tyrrell Hatton
• Abraham Ancer
• Paul Casey
• Lee Westwood

The US Open at Oakmont will be a brutal test, including the longest par 3 in the tournament's history, but are these extra long 'short' holes any good?

The eighth hole at Oakmont is the longest par 3 ever played in US Open history, measuring 300 yards in 2007 and then 299 yards in 2016 - and although down as 289 yards on the card it could hit that 300 mark again.

But is that too long? Many of the iconic par 3s in the world are much shorter - the 12th at Augusta National, the 17th at TPC Sawgrass and the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon to name a few.

And many believe that par 3s should be a test of the short game, not the long, with Justin Thomas and Viktor Hovland among them.

"Yeah, I couldn't tell you a par 3 over 250 yards that's good, I would say, architecturally," said Thomas ahead of The Memorial Tournament.

"Obviously, you have 16 at Cypress Point is pretty special, but I definitely think there's some potential viewing reasons that makes it, you know, a great hole.

"So I'm a big short par 3 guy. I think a lot of us and - a lot of players and people that watch golf are. Yeah, I just, that's my opinion."

And Thomas says he's not the biggest fan of the eighth at Oakmont that he'll face again in the US Open.

"Yeah, that's not my favorite hole in the world," he admitted. "I think you could do some other things with that.

"But everyone's going to have to play the same hole and going to have to execute the same shots, and I would love four 3s on it right now if I could take it."

Hovland is one of those players who agrees with Thomas that making a par 3 longer doesn't always make it better.

"I just think all the best par 3s are under 200," said Hovland. "You can maybe have it just over 200, but as soon as you start to take head covers off on par 3s, I just think it gets a little silly."

And Hovland has also played the eighth at Oakmont, which he says isn't "that great" due to the length it will play at.

"Yeah, man, that's a hard hole because it's, like, you got to be so precise from back there, and you're hitting a 3-iron or I hit a 7-wood a couple times," said Hovland.

"I just don't think when you have to make a hole that long, it just doesn't become that great.

"It just becomes like, okay, you got a certain target here and then you got to hit a shot around there and make a par and get out of there instead of a shorter par 3 that entices you to get close to it, but if you're a little bit off, you're either in the water or in a short-sided spot or if you bail out, yeah, you still have a tricky little putt."

'The memorable ones are the shorter ones'

Collin Morikawa is another PGA Tour star who prefers par 3s to be shorter and promote taking on more risk.

"I don't think anyone's really a big fan of them. I think the only fun one to play is Cypress Point, 16, because it's beautiful. View's beautiful, the hole itself is just tough.

"So I think the memorable ones are the shorter ones. They're the ones that have risk and reward, right. I think when there's risk, we like risk, because we like taking it on.

"Risk can be involved with a sand wedge, it can be involved with an 8-iron. I think when you just have 250 yards and you just start looking at dispersion, that's not really risk, that's just, we're just playing odds on is everyone's dispersion going to be wider.

"I would rather take on more risk, have everything a little tighter. You just have to hit a golf shot, versus me teeing up 3-wood."

Three big names continued their struggles in 2025 with Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas and Max Homa all having difficult starts to the Players Championship.

Thomas finished birdie-birdie but still carded a bitterly disappointing opening round of 78, while his six over par was at least better than Hovland's 80.

Homa has endured a torried start to 2025 and that looks likely to continue, as the American was six over for his first nine holes before adding two more bogeys early in his back nine during his round of 79.

Thomas won the Players Championship in 2021 and had a couple of positive results this year to build confidence heading to TPC Sawgrass, but that disappeared on just two holes.

Starting on the 10th tee, the two-time PGA Championship winner negotiated his first seven holes in two under, before coming apart at the 17th and 18th on the Stadium Course.

Thomas found the water on the iconic par-3 17th hole and again on the intimidating closing hole at TPC Sawgrass, which cost him back-to-back double bogeys.

A third double bogey followed at the fifth during a disastrous run that saw him go bogey-double-bogey-bogey to lose five shots in a four-hole run that could have cost him a shot at making the weekend already.

Thomas fought back well though, picking up birdies at the eighth and ninth to at least finish the day with hope that he can turn things around on Friday.

Hovland has been his own worst critic over the last year or so, and having missed back-to-back cuts before the Players that criticism looked valid.

Like Thomas, Hovland had three disastrous holes, with two double bogeys and a triple bogey blighting his card - but unlike the American the Norwegian could not find a late response as he signed for an 80.

Hovland hit a triple-bogey seven on the fifth and followed it with a double-bogey six on the sixth as two wide right drives ended up costing him five shots.

Homa turned in 42 after two bogeys and two double bogeys, before adding two more coming home as he continued the struggles that have seen him miss the cut in three of his last four events.

He did at least manage his first and only birdie of the day on 16 to make sure he broke 80, but shooting 79 will be scant consolation after another poor round in the books.

Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from next week’s WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, with the Norwegian’s place in the field taken by Paul Waring.

No reason has been given for Hovland’s decision to skip the event, although he has had a mixed start to the year. The World No.9 finished T36 in the opening PGA Tour event of the season, The Sentry, before missing the cut on the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic.

He then shot a brilliant round of 65 on the opening day of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am before following that up with a 71 to make the cut.

After the opening round, Hovland was cautious over any thoughts he was getting back to his best after a difficult 2024 season. He said: “I'm still not happy with my game, how it looks, but that doesn't mean that I can have great individual days or great individual tournaments.

“So I'm still really pumped to shoot 65, but I know that I'm not going to just let that overlook the problems or the issues that I have in my game. They're still there, but I was able to overcome it today."

Hovland also admitted he was struggling to come to terms with his prolonged spell of inconsistent form, particularly after a stunning 2023 season, which he capped with his first FedEx Cup win.

He said: “Yeah, well, your expectations just start, you know, lowering drastically because I know what I'm capable of. 2023 I had the best season of my career and I know I can play at that level again. And I want to play at that level every single time.”

While Hovland has opted against teeing it up in Arizona, it has offered Waring his first start as a PGA Tour player. The Englishman was one of 10 players to earn a PGA Tour card thanks to his finish in the DP World Tour’s 2024 Race to Dubai rankings, helped by winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links.

He’ll be keen to rekindle that form after missing the cut in his one other start so far this year at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Just a day after saying "I suck at golf right now" Viktor Hovland proved that he still does have game after shooting seven under at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Not that the Norwegian is suddenly back, instead saying that he was pretty close to not even turning up this week due to the current state of his game - which he says still needs a lot of work.

Hovland is enduring a big rebuild of his game and although he sees some green shoots of recovery he thinks he still has a long way to go.

And that's despite shooting 65 on Thursday which merely drew the response of "I sucked a little less today" from the man himself.

Hovland said that despite his problems, he could navigate Pebble Beach under nice conditions, but is clearly still not happy even when shooting 65.

"You know, I can still play and today was good conditions And I hit a few really nice wedges and started making some putts," Hovland said after his round.

"You know, I'm trying to obviously get my mind out of the technical aspects of it and just trying to play golf. Obviously I can't complain about the - whatever the stats for today I gained probably off the tee and into the greens.

"Looks great on paper. It's just how my mind works is naturally trying to extrapolate what I did today and how would I play over the course of a season.

"I'm still not happy with my game, how it looks, but that doesn't mean that I can have great individual days or great individual tournaments.

"So I'm still really pumped to shoot 65, but I know that I'm not going to just let that overlook the problems or the issues that I have in my game. They're still there, but I was able to overcome it today."

Hovland is obviously a deep thinker and has an incredibly technical approach to the game, and a big problem as he tries to build his game back up is dealing with disappointment at not having the elite game that fired his incredible 2023 season.

"2023 I had the best season of my career and I know I can play at that level again. And I want to play at that level every single time," Hovland added.

"But I know that as I'm hitting worse and worse shots, eventually you kind of have to be a little bit kinder to yourself and just go, OK, I might hit some terrible shots but let's try to hit the terrible shots in an OK position instead of in the water or short-siding myself.

"Let's try to plot my way around and shoot OK scores and then we can work on things after the round and just keep getting a little bit better."

But although it's a psychological challenge for him right now, Hovland has no intention of seeking help on that front.

"I'm sure there's a lot of smart people and I could learn from a lot of different people. The thing is I'm very technical driven and I know that if my fundamentals are in a good spot and you see good shots and you're hitting the ball where you're looking, it's easier to think better as well.

"But when the ball is going all over the place and you're paying a guy to sit there and say "just be positive," that kind of grinds my gears a little bit. I don't want to hear that.

"There are definitely mental techniques, breathing techniques. Or you don't have to be delusional, but you can definitely change the story you're telling yourself to make you feel better.

"So there are valuable things to mental training that you can do, but at the end of the day if you can't hit the shots that you're wanting to hit, it doesn't matter."

Golf is full of unique actions and, at The Sentry, we saw the return of one familiar movement from multiple-time PGA Tour winner, Viktor Hovland.

Playing in his first event of 2025, the Norwegian stood at four-under-par through his first 31 holes, but it was a moment at the driveable par 4 14th that caused the biggest reaction, with Hovland showcasing the 'double-pump' golf swing.

Now, you may think that this movement is the look of someone who has lost their swing, but you would be wrong, as the 27-year-old has used this in competitive action before.

Back in 2019, a then rookie Hovland explained that "my normal driver swing creates a little cut. If I have a hole that has a dogleg, or I need to feel a right-to-left shot, or if it's a long par 5 that is super wide, I take out the double-pump. I hit it a little further and my good ones can get up to 15 yards further without going anymore off-line."

Certainly, on the 14th hole, the double-pump worked wonders as Hovland was able to stick his 300-yard, uphill tee shot on to the green, with the former FedEx Cup champion able to roll in the eagle attempt for two.

It's not just Hovland who uses this double-pump method to maximize their ball speed. If you look at the Long Drive circuit, Seb Twaddell is famed for using the double-pump. In fact, he uses the method to such success that he currently holds the ball speed record of over 240mph.

Obviously, Hovland doesn't possess these insane numbers but, thanks to the action, he was able to make an eagle and round-out his day with another birdie at the 15th. What's more, after his four-under second round, the Norwegian then fired a five-under 68 on Saturday to sit in a share of 31st, which is impressive given that he broke his toe just a week prior to the start of The Sentry.

Posting to social media, Hovland shared a screenshot of an X-Ray of his broken toe with the caption "Bed frame 1 – 0 me." Despite the injury, he has continued to get better scoring-wise as the week has gone on.

Although Viktor Hovland's season is over with just two qualifying starts under his belt, the DP World Tour has confirmed to Golf Monthly that his Ryder Cup qualifying status is secure after being amended to reflect his injury.

The Norwegian withdrew from the BMW PGA Championship field in September and has now told the DP World Tour that he cannot play again this season due to injury.

Having played in just the Paris 2024 Olympics and Scottish Open, that left Hovland with just two qualifying appearances out of the minimum of four needed to retain DP World Tour membership - and eligibility for Ryder Cup selection.

It's a similar scenario for LIV golf pair Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who appealed against their fines and suspensions in order to complete their four tournaments in the autumn.

Since it's an injury that is preventing Hovland from completing his four event minimum, though, the DP World Tour has amended his criteria meaning that he will retain his membership despite playing just twice.

A DP World Tour spokesperson told Golf Monthly: “Viktor is now unable to play again on the DP World Tour this season due to injury. 

"As a result, his minimum ‘Counting Tournament’ obligation has been amended."

That news will be a relief to Hovland, who may have worried about his Ryder Cup eligibility, and especially Luke Donald who has previously said the rules would not be changed for the likes of Rahm and Hatton.

Injury, though, is a different story than their disciplinary problems, so Hovland has had his membership preserved and he will continue to hold a DP World Tour card and be eligible for Donald's team next year.

Hovland has had a difficult year with injury and swing problems - with a change of coach at the start of the year not working out as he returned to Joe Mayo in May.

This all coming on the back of the best year of his career in 2023, when he won the FedEx Cup and starred in Europe's Ryder Cup victory in Rome when climbing to World No.3 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

In 2024, though, the 27-year-old missed the cut in three of the four Majors - he did challenge for the PGA Championship but eventually finished third behind Xander Schauffele.

That was very much the outlier though in an otherwise disappointing campaign, which has now been cut short due to injury.

Hovland will hope that a complete rest and reset may help him to bounce back in 2025 for a huge Ryder Cup years as the Europeans head to Bethpage Black.

Cast your mind back a year and Viktor Hovland was getting ready to win in back-to-back weeks to seal the FedEx Cup, and its $18m bonus, before starring in Europe's Ryder Cup victory in Rome.

The Norwegian reached 3rd in the world rankings after the best season of his career, and then decided to change things. He moved away from coach Joe Mayo - before reuniting in May - to try and improve his game to take him to the next level.

It hasn't gone to plan, with Hovland needing a good performance to even qualify for next week's BMW Championship after missing three of four cuts in the Majors and failing to record a win or a runner-up all season.

Speaking ahead of this week's FedEx St Jude Championship, the 26-year-old from Oslo admitted that he wanted to change things in the off-season after he found he was starting to hit more of a draw.

"The things that I did in my swing that made me good, that made me able to predict a certain ball flight, I went home and tried to do a certain move, not necessarily because I had in mind that I wanted to change my pattern. I knew my pattern was really good. But I was upset that I wasn't cutting the ball as much as I would have liked," he said.

"My ball flight started to become a little bit of a draw, which is fine. I was still hitting it good. But sometimes visually I would have liked to have seen the cut. 

"Then in the off-season I made a conscious effort to try to cut the ball more, and when I did that, I ruined a relationship that happens in my swing that makes it really difficult for me to control the face coming down. 

"So now it's just kind of me learning from that. I know exactly why it happened. I know exactly what happens because I've gotten myself measured, and now it's just kind of a process of getting back to where I was. But at least I know I have all the data and the facts on the table to go about it."

Hovland is confident he has found something with coach Joe Mayo, and he'll need to as he currently sits outside the cut-off for the second FedEx Cup Playoffs event next week.

"I'm not sure how long it's going to take for me to play my best golf. It might be this week. It might be next week. But at least now I'm on a path to progress," he said.

"I'm on a path to improvement. Whereas before, one thing is playing bad, but you don't know why and you don't know how to fix it. That's very challenging mentally. 

"I might play terrible this week, but at least I feel like I'm on a path to improvement, and that's all that kind of matters for me."

Hovland currently ranks 57th in the FedEx Cup standings and is 115 points outside of the top 50, meaning he'll likely need a top-15 finish this week to move into the field for the BMW Championship.

Viktor Hovland admitted he nearly pulled out of the PGA Championship such has been the state of his game in 2024.

The Norwegian enjoyed a stellar 2023 that included a runner-up finish in this event 12 months ago and a FedEx Cup triumph but made a surprising change of coach ahead of this season which seemed to backfire.

He parted ways with Joseph Mayo and hooked up with Grant Waite in a bid to get better but has a best finish of T19 in 2024 and missed the cut at The Masters.

Now back with Mayo, Hovland seems to have quickly turned the corner but revealed how close he came to skipping the second men’s Major of the year after a Saturday 66 in Kentucky.

Speaking to SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio’s Jason Sobel, he said: “I was almost considering pulling out of this event just because I wasn’t playing good at all. Things didn’t feel very good and when they don’t feel good, it’s like what’s the point of going and playing? I’d rather just go and work on it.”

Surprised by the omission, he was pushed to be more specific and joked: “Damn it, I shouldn’t have said that.”

He then added: “When you’re playing bad, thoughts are racing and that’s just what you’re thinking

“Obviously didn’t make the decision. Obviously decided to come here and play instead. I think it’s just kind of in the moment when you’re playing bad, you just wanna go home.”

Although Hovland’s struggles and those of the regular recreational golfer aren’t comparable, it shows the pros aren’t as unflappable as they often seem.

The speed of the turnaround has been impressive, though, and Hovland could yet go to bed on Sunday night as a Major champion.

Discussing what makes he and Mayo such a good match ahead of his final round at Valhalla, he added: “He knows my swing really well. He's really, really smart, and just has a way of looking at my swing and kind of knowing what it is right away.

“Felt like I got some really good answers, was able to apply some of the feels right away, and I saw improvement right away. Yeah, it's easy to keep going then.”

Through the summer of 2023, Viktor Hovland was, arguably, the best golfer on the planet, with the Norwegian claiming three PGA Tour titles in three months, including the FedEx Cup playoffs.

However, at the start of 2024, despite his incredible year, Hovland parted ways with coach Joseph Mayo after feeling like his swing wasn’t as good as it had been previously. Since the split, he has struggled with his game, with Hovland's best finish being a tie for 19th at The Genesis Invitational.

On Wednesday evening, and on the eve of the PGA Championship, it was then reported by No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg that Hovland and Mayo were back working together, with Hovland confirming the news following his three-under-par round of 68 on Thursday. 

Speaking to the media at Valhalla, the 26-year-old stated: "Yeah, that's correct. Just reached out and was wondering if he (Mayo) could take a look at my golf swing, and let's get back to work.

"He knows my swing really well. He's really, really smart, and just has a way of looking at my swing and kind of knowing what it is right away. Felt like I got some really good answers, was able to apply some of the feels right away, and I saw improvement right away. Yeah, it's easy to keep going then."

Sitting inside the top-10 of the PGA Championship as the afternoon wave got their rounds underway in Kentucky, Hovland carded four birdies and two bogeys on his front nine, before a more stable eight pars and one birdie on his back nine gave him a three-under 68. He sits six back of current leader, Xander Schauffele, who produced a nine-under 62, his second ever 62 in Major play.

Although Hovland is a number of shots back of Schauffele, the 68 is his lowest round since the 67 he shot at The Sentry back in January. Throughout 2024, the World No.7 has missed a few Signature Events to focus on his golf game and, at Valhalla, it seems the work is starting to pay off.

Grinding away and being the last on the range on Wednesday evening, Hovland stated: "I don't enjoy just being on the range just to hit balls. Like, there has to be a purpose behind those sessions. Every time I go there, I feel like I have a purpose. 

"If there is something that I need to kind of grind in a certain feel, then I'm going to do that. But if I feel like things are good and I'm just wasting energy to be out on the range, I'm not going to go out to the range. That's what's crazy with this game. There's always something to kind of work on."

According to No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg, Viktor Hovland has changed swing coaches again.

It’s not a new instructor this time around for the ever-curious Hovland; rather, reports suggest he is back working with Joseph Mayo, the coach based out of TPC Summerlin who helped the Norwegian markedly improve his short game and win the FedEx Cup.

“He and Mayo are working again,” Van Valkenburg said on a No Laying Up podcast. “They were spotted at TPC Summerlin working for hours and hours. They have reconnected and are trying to figure this out.”

Despite the best season of his career in 2023, Hovland took the surprise decision to part ways with Mayo at the start of the year after feeling like his swing wasn’t as good as it had been previously.

He hired Grant Waite and has also been seen on the range with renowned teacher Dana Dahlquist, but his results so far in 2024 represent something of a mixed bag. Hovland has just one top-20 finish to his name – a T19 at the Genesis Invitational – and missed the cut at The Masters after rounds of 71 and 81.

Stats guru Justin Ray also put his recent struggles into context. In strokes gained tee to green, he is down from fourth to 122nd, while his rankings in fairway proximity and approach play have also dropped off.

Hovland finished in a tie for seventh at Augusta National in 2023 and went on to challenge Brooks Koepka for the PGA Championship before having to settle for a T2.

Following on from the runner-up finish, he would go on to win three times on the PGA Tour in a stellar campaign, with the 26-year-old eager to repeat the success now that he's back under Mayo’s watchful eye.

Ryder Cup star and World No.6, Viktor Hovland is being tipped as the LIV Golf League’s next high-profile target ahead of its 2025 season.

The Guardian is reporting that LIV is ploughing ahead with plans to further strengthen its position in the golfing landscape at a crucial time for the 54-hole circuit.

Per Ewan Murray, the PIF-backed competition is looking to imminently add more events to its calendar and more players to its roster, with several golfers who joined around the time of the league’s inception seeing their respective three-year contracts run out at the end of 2024.

And one of the new recruits could be Hovland, who has been highly critical of PGA Tour CEO, Jay Monahan a couple of times in recent months over his handling of the framework agreement.

Not long after Jon Rahm quit the PGA Tour for LIV, Hovland said: "I totally understand why he [Rahm] left. That's a lot, a lot of money. And at least when the management of the PGA Tour has done such a bad job.

“Just to be clear: I'm not complaining about the position I'm in, and I'm very grateful for everything. But the management has not done a good job. They almost see the players as labour, and not as part of the members. After all, we are the PGA Tour. Without the players, there is nothing."

Then, ahead of The Players Championship in March, Hovland said: “There were some things that were said that have been walked back on and then things have been very contradictory,” Hovland said. “As a leader of an organisation, I will want a person like that to take some ownership and say, hey, we made a couple of mistakes, but this is how we’re going to rectify it, instead of kind of sweeping it under the rug, which I felt like has been done to a certain degree.”

However, despite the strong criticism, the Norwegian also denied that he was planning to depart the US-based tour - stating that he does not believe a move would be good for his career.

He said: “I’m not such a fan of, for example, playing without a cut. You need 150 players and a cut. If you don't play well enough, you're out. There is something about it that makes your game a little sharper. If I had gone to LIV, I don't think I would have become a better golfer. And then it is, in a way, end of discussion.”

Should Hovland change his mind, though, it would present an extremely difficult situation for the European Tour Group ahead of the next Ryder Cup at Bethpage in 2025.

Currently, only players with a DP World Tour membership can be considered for selection through either qualifying or as a captain’s pick - something that Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton still hold despite being subject to fines and bans after their respective switches.

And if a vital quarter of Luke Donald’s winning dozen from Marco Simone ends up being ineligible for the biennial competition against the US, it could compromise the whole event.

Rory McIlroy has previously called for Ryder Cup rules to be changed in order to allow LIV’s European cohort, and in particular Rahm, to remain a part of the blue and gold squad. But new European Tour CEO Guy Kinnings must be careful not to be seen as bowing to the wishes of LIV or the Saudi PIF if he plays a part in making that happen.

Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from next week's RBC Heritage after he missed the cut following a nightmare second-round display at The Masters.

Hovland, who won the FedEx Cup last year, has struggled for form since the turn of the year after a split from his former coach Joe Mayo. The Norwegian recorded a tenth-place finish at the season-opening Sentry but has since notched up only one top-20 finish in his subsequent five events. 

The 26-year-old posted a T4 at Augusta National last year and opened the 2024 tournament with a promising one-under-par 71, but saw his hopes fade early in the second round after he dropped seven shots his first five holes.

A nightmare round was typified by a disastrous double bogey on the par 5 15th when Hovland failed with a one-handed attempt to tap in a bogey putt from little more than two feet. 

The nine-over-par 81 saw him become one the big names to miss The Masters cut and the six-time PGA Tour winner has since decided to withdraw from next week's Signature Event at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Earlier in the year, Hovland withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open in similar circumstances after a disappointing showing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

Speaking earlier in the week at Augusta, Hovland, who is now working with swing coach Grant Waite, said his change of coach in the off-season was motivated by a desire to find a more "sustainable" swing.

"I was playing great golf last year, but it's not like I'm trying to change my golf swing. It's just sometimes the game of golf you try to do the same every day, but then things aren't the same every day when you go to the golf course," he said.

"I took a huge break after last year and when I came back, things were a little bit different and I had to kind of find my way back to where I think I'm going to play my best golf.

"And even at the end of the last year I still felt like, yeah, I was playing great, but I got a lot out of my game and it didn't necessarily feel sustainable, but it's not like I consciously went in and said, 'hey, we're going to change everything up.'"

When Viktor Hovland announced he had split with coach Joe Mayo on the eve of the 2024 PGA Tour season, plenty of people were taken aback at the decision.

The Nowegian had gone from an excellent player in his own right to genuinely world class in less than a year after Mayo helped transform Hovland's short game.

Once the coach came on board in February 2023, the 26-year-old went on to record top-20 results in all four Majors, won three of his final eight starts of the year (including the FedEx Cup), and played a significant role in Team Europe's Ryder Cup success at Marco Simone.

Since beginning the 2024 campaign, however, Hovland has only competed in three PGA Tour Signature Events and has failed to finish above T19 in those limited-field tournaments.

Heading into The Masters without the kind of form which made him one of the most feared golfers on the planet this time last year, Hovland explained just why he opted to make a change to his coaching staff over the off-season.

He said: "I mean, it's one of those things. Like, I was playing great golf last year, but it's not like I'm trying to change my golf swing. It's just sometimes the game of golf you try to do the same every day, but then things aren't the same every day when you go to the golf course.

"I took a huge break after last year and when I came back, things were a little bit different and I had to kind of find my way back to where I think I'm going to play my best golf.

"And even at the end of the last year I still felt like, yeah, I was playing great, but I got a lot out of my game and it didn't necessarily feel sustainable, but it's not like I consciously went in and said, 'hey, we're going to change everything up.'"

The Norwegian is now working with swing coach Grant Waite and was seen on the range at Augusta National with Dana Dahlquist, too, as he aims to recapture some of the feels from 2021.

The former low amateur at The Masters acknowledged that he wanted to hear a different voice as he attempted to find greater consistency from his game, going on to admit that he would spend "up to eight hours" after a round searching for something last season.

Hovland continued: "I was always trying to learn, but at the same time, I just felt like I got to basically the pinnacle of what my golf swing was able to do last year. When I keep looking back at my swings from 2020, 2021, I just really had more control of the golf ball, in my opinion.

"During the Scottish Open and British Open last year, I was on the range for probably seven, eight hours after every single round just trying to kind of figure it out a little bit.

"So, honestly, like, I knew I was playing good golf, but it came a little bit of a surprise that I was able to win the FedExCup right after that. But I still felt like that issue kind of had to be discussed and kind of figured out and that's kind of what I'm doing now."

Hovland will attempt to better his Masters finish of T7 last season when he tees off in the first round alongside Wyndham Clark and Cameron Smith at 10:54am on Thursday morning.

As Viktor Hovland's stature has grown in the game, the Ryder Cup star has not been afraid of voicing his opinions.

The Norwegian has remained loyal to the PGA Tour amid plenty of LIV Golf rumors, but he hasn't been giving his home circuit an easy ride in recent months. 

In December, he said he "totally understands" why Jon Rahm left for LIV Golf and that the PGA Tour had done "such a bad job." Then last week he called the current state of golf both "comical" and "sad."

Hovland, who had the standout season of his career in 2023 when he won two PGA Tour events as well as the FedEx Cup, has managed just one top-20 so far this year after switching swing coaches while also relocating from Oklahoma to Florida.

He tees it up at the Players Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass, where he had plenty of interesting things to say in his pre-tournament press conference...

On PGA Tour leadership

Hovland has been critical of PGA Tour leadership recently, and he believes Monahan should "take ownership" of his mistakes.

"The thing is, like, I play golf for a living. I don't know exactly what should have been done because at the end of the day I don't have all the information, and I don't know that -- I can't just say, okay, this is what exactly needs to be done or should have been done," he said.

"But at the same time, there were some things that were said that has been walked back on and then things have been very contradictory. As a leader of an organization, I will want a person like that to take some ownership and say, hey, we made a couple of mistakes, but this is how we're going to rectify it, instead of kind of sweeping it under the rug, which I felt like has been done to a certain degree. 

"So I don't mind people making mistakes. We all make mistakes. But I think when you make a mistake you got to own up to it and say, hey, we're trying to do better here, and this is how we're going to do it."

Signature events and field sizes

The PGA Tour's future is still currently unknown after the new SSG deal and dealings with LIV's backers, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, still going on behind-the-scenes.

The landscape has forced big changes to the tour's schedule, including the introduction of the controversial Signature Events - which feature smaller fields and huge prize funds.

"These Signature Events, for example, they have been great for the players that are in the tournaments. I don't know if that's necessarily what the fans want to watch," he said.

"I don't know if it's long-term going to produce a better product or not. I hear the arguments for it, I hear the arguments against it, so I haven't given it too much thought.

"Yeah, certainly I've read Lucas Glover's comments last week where he said having the smaller field sizes are not making it more competitive. Yes, you're getting the best players to play, the top guys to show up, but the fields are more competitive when you have bigger field sizes. I think that's just the fact. There's a reason why we're playing The Players Championship with 144 guys.

"But at the end of the day, I don't know what the fans want to watch. Do they want to watch these limited field sizes or do they want to watch the bigger sizes? I really don't know.

"So, yeah, I just don't know what trajectory we're on. I think a lot of that is depending upon the fact of what happens to the LIV guys; do they come back eventually. I don't think it's a great outlook if we keep being divided for 10, 15 years, whatever, however long it's going to take.

"There has to be some kind of decision being made in the future."

Charles Howell III

Hovland opened up on how his fellow OSU alumnus Charles Howell III helped him out in his early years on tour. He owes Charles Howell III "a lot," he said.

"I remember my rookie year on Tour I traveled a lot with Charles Howell and his family, obviously ties to Oklahoma State, and their family's just great people. Played a bunch of practice rounds with him, even though he liked to play a little bit earlier than I do.

"He took me under his wing, and I just fired a bunch of questions at him, and he answered honestly. Obviously being out here for so long, it's not about technical stuff or - it's more the smaller things, how you handle yourself, how you handle your business, and just kind of believing that you're good enough to play out there.

"It's not so much the tips but just being around people that have the experience and they believe in you, they like being around you. I think that just gives you the most comfort.

"So I owe a lot to Charles Howell and his family."

Staying on the outside

While he might not like everything that has happened with the PGA Tour, he isn't interested in spending his time in meetings, saying he has trust in the PAC to represent players' interests.

"I could have definitely gone out of my way to put more time and effort into figuring out what kind of trajectory we're on and put myself into that debate a bit more," Hovland said.

"Although, I do trust the players on the PAC to represent the players in the best way possible and I have been in communication with some of those guys to fill me in.

"But at the same time, I'm just not that interested in spending my free time in trying to figure out every single nuance in the situation. So, I'm trying to stay outside a little bit and play my game, because, yeah, I trust the guys on the board to kind of do their thing."

SSG Grants

The Norwegian was asked about the PGA Tour's new deal with Strategic Sports Group, which will see players handed $1.5bn in equity grants.

"I don't know how the PGA Tour, as a franchise, works. If there is enough money out there that is sustainable, I think the players should be paid a fair share," he said on Wednesday at TPC Sawgrass.

"Now, I have no idea what the fair share is. If SSG wants to put money into that kind of grant to pay top players, who am I to just say no to that. But I'm not going to throw a fit if I don't get any money. If that makes sense.

"So, I really don't know what the finances are and how this is sustainable. Obviously I think there should be a plan put in place where if the PGA Tour does better, there's more viewership, the business grows, I think the players should have some way to be paid accordingly with that growth, if that's the SSG grant that they're given, sure, that's a way to do it.

"But I really don't know. So, again, that's probably part of my, that's something that I need to look into further to inform myself better."

Moving to Florida

Hovland has remained in Oklahoma, where he attended college, until now. The World No.4 has relocated to South Florida, where many of the world's best players live, in order to, perhaps, enjoy lower tax as well as the better year-round weather.

He is yet to decide where his new home club will be.

"Yeah, still trying to figure out where I want to practice full-time over there. I had a great time so far. I haven't really been doing too much besides playing golf," he said.

"Obviously in South Florida there aren't too many other places to beat, when it comes to playing golf there. I certainly miss Oklahoma, I miss the people out there, and the golf is great over there. You get some tough weather that you have to show up and grind in, which sometimes you don't quite get in South Florida, even though it's certainly windy enough, so that gives you some challenge.

"But the cold days, the super windy days and all that stuff, I certainly miss that in Oklahoma. But for everyday practice, the facilities are always in great shape and the weather is always nice enough that you can practice putting and chipping and all that stuff.

"So, hopefully it will help me in the future and I've told the guys at, for example, Oklahoma State, if things aren't necessarily ideal in your practice facilities, that it's not the facilities that are making you good, it's, you have to use the facilities in a way that's going to make you better.

"So, just by moving to Florida, it's not going to make my game better. I have to practice in a way that's going to make me better, but I think it's a lot easier to do so there."

Pete Dye is a "genius"

This week's venue, TPC Sawgrass, is Pete Dye's most famous course - and Hovland is a massive fan of the legendary designer.

"I'm a big fan of Pete Dye golf courses in general," the 26-year-old stated.

"I think this course does a really good job of separating the players that are on their game that week, and if you're a little bit off you get penalized.

"There's a lot of really tough visually tee shots and small greens, and there's good opportunities to shoot low scores, but at the same time there's a lot of water and other things going on, so I love the golf course and played good here the last two years, so hopefully try to build on that.

"I just think he builds fair golf courses, but off the tee it might not necessarily look that there's a whole lot of room, but when you get up there, there's plenty of room. It's just visually intimidating, and I like how he uses angles really well, particularly on par-3 holes.

"I think he's just a genius, and I really like a lot of his golf courses."

Viktor Hovland has been one of the most impressive golfers in the world recently, reaching the top-5 in the Official World Golf Rankings thanks to 10 professional wins in just four years.

A lot of his success appears to be down to his incredible consistency, natural ability and commendable attitude to the game, but, irrespective of his undeniable talent, even the best players need great coaching.

That's where stats guru Edoardo Molinari comes in. After recently announcing a new partnership with golf data giant, Arccos, the Ryder Cup vice-captain revealed an interesting insight that he used to develop Hovland's approach play...

In a recent interview with three-time DP World Tour winner Edoardo Molinari, the Italian revealed that his stats-informed coaching is now being used by a number of the world's best players – including Matt Fitzpatrick, Nelly Korda and Viktor Hovland.

In what can only be described as a truly fascinating insight, Molinari explained that his use of data analytics helped him to spot that Viktor Hovland was "being way too aggressive into the greens".

He went on to add: "Eventually we decided together, you (Hovland) need to be much more conservative, especially with your shorter irons. And then off it was, off to the races and winning tournaments like never before."

According to stats from the PGA Tour, Hovland has improved his birdie or better percentage from the fairway each year from the 2019-20 season through to his memorable FedEx Cup winning year in 2023. He ranked 7th on tour in that category last season, and 4th for birdie average, which suggests that this strategy appears to be paying off.

Describing how he hopes these insights can help more golfers in the future, Molinari said: "We want to create something that is not out there yet, which is basically scaling what I'm doing for the PGA tour, and being able to give pretty much the same service to others like Korn Ferry or NCAA teams, and elite golfers".

Based on the evidence, it appears this service is likely to be a popular one among professionals at all levels, especially when you consider Molinari's track record of success in the playing and coaching spheres so far.

Plenty of golf coaches will tell you that if you're struggling on a particular hole, one way to navigate the issue is to try and play it in a different way. Take a 3-wood off the tee instead of driver or perhaps lay up as opposed to taking your chances with a long iron.

In Viktor Hovland's case, as well as a handful of other players at this week's Genesis Invitational, it seems the Norwegian will be trying a very similar method as he attempts to navigate past the tricky 15th hole at Riviera Country Club.

Playing just short of 500 yards as a dogleg par-4 with a green that slopes towards the next tee box, 15 often plays as the second hardest hole on the property. 

Most players will try and thrash their ball down the left side of 15, but that leaves a very tough approach shot in. And historically, less than 50% of competitors have found the green in regulation going that way.

As a result, Hovland began raising eyebrows in 2022 when he opted to stand on the 15th tee with driver in hand and aim through a gap in the trees towards the adjacent 17th fairway on his right. After waiting for the intended target area to clear, he smashed his ball around 300 yards and left a shot of circa 180 yards to the green.

Repeating the tactic on and off ever since, the reigning FedEx Cup champion saw varying degrees of success last year. The first round generated a par after he found the green with his second shot while the Friday attempt resulted in a bogey as the approach shot was some 30 yards short.

At the weekend, Hovland returned to lining his drive up down the designated fairway, but once again he carded a five and a four - although the former was mainly down to a three-putt.

Ahead of the 2024 running of the Genesis Invitational, Hovland was pictured practicing the alternative route once again. The PGA Tour tried to stop players following suit 12 months ago by popping a digital scoreboard in the gap, but it was not tall enough to affect the desired shot shape and was therefore largely redundant.

The reason one of Europe's hottest prospects is among those approaching the 487-yard 15th in such a unique way is two-fold. One, because it takes the extremely penal bunker that sits around 300 yards down the right-hand side of the fairway out of play. And two, because there is currently no internal out of bounds between 15 and 17, so players can avoid the almost certain bogey which finding the sand results in.

Speaking about the sneaky plan in 2022, Hovland said: "Just fits my eye" before crediting former teammate at Oklahoma State, Zach Bouchou, with the idea.

Hovland continued: “There’s not too much trouble there, I thought. Obviously that bunker on the left side [on 17] is no good, but at the same time the bunker down 15 on the right is no good, either.”

Many have suggested enforcing a local rule which would prohibit that direction of travel, but for the time being, Hovland and co. are perfectly entitled to look at the world via a different perspective - and all power to them.

World No.4 Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from the hotly-anticipated WM Phoenix Open this week in what would have been just his third PGA Tour start of 2024.

No official reason was given by PGA Tour Communications when the advisory message was posted on Monday, February 5 - three days before play is due to begin at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course - with Frenchman Victor Perez confirmed as his namesake's replacement.

However, among the many theories floating about on social media, Eurosport Norway commentator Marius Thorp posted on X to explain Hovland's decision from an informed standpoint and clarify that the 26-year-old is aiming to tee it up at the Genesis Invitational - hosted by Tiger Woods - in less than two weeks' time.

Translated from Norwegian, Thorp's message read: "Confirmed that Viktor will take a week of training in Florida before returning to competition in the Genesis Invitational. Didn't feel comfortable with tournament play as it stands now, and wanted to figure out the swing and find a good feel for him going to LA!"

Eurosport/Discovery's Espen Baker echoed Thorp's sentiments, writing in Norwegian: "No big surprise that Viktor drops Phoenix. Has several times previously withdrawn the week after a disappointing tournament. But considering that he had three free weeks before Pebble, it is clearly enough to work with!"

Hovland's withdrawal arrived the day after the reigning FedEx Cup champion's T58 result at the shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and weeks after a highly-respectable T22 finish at The Sentry - his only other competitive appearance this year.

In California last week, Hovland went round in level-par 72 on Saturday to remain on three-under for the tournament prior to stormy weather cutting the limited-field Signature Event short.

The high winds and rain proved to be no match for eventual champion, Wyndham Clark, though, with the 2023 US Open winner racking up an extraordinary 12-under score on what should have been the third day to ultimately take the title by one shot form Sweden's Ludvig Aberg.

Clark, Aberg, and Hovland have all recently stated they declined offers to join LIV Golf over the winter, but the Norwegian's decision to pull out of a PGA Tour event has reignited those thoughts with LIV Golf Las Vegas also on the horizon.

It appears to be just a theory, though, with Hovland having recently told Discovery's Fore podcast that he is not interested in switching tours - despite claiming that the PGA Tour hierarchy had done "such a bad job" in recent months.

Those comments arrived weeks before the PGA Tour completed a $3 billion deal with Strategic Sports Group which will allow golfers to access millions of dollars worth of equity stakes in PGA Tour Enterprises.

Viktor Hovland admits he "totally understands" why Jon Rahm left the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf League and suggested one of the key reasons behind the Spaniard's decision could be because the PGA Tour's management "has done such a bad job" of late.

It should quickly be pointed out that Hovland, himself, has no intention of joining LIV and believes he would not have become the golfer he is today without the pressure and competition of the American-based competition.

But the Norwegian star acknowledged he could see why the likes of Rahm and others have at least pursued the opportunity of moving on when not only are there such extreme sums of money on offer but also the level of uncertainty surrounding the PGA Tour is so high.

Speaking to Discovery's golf podcast FORE! in his native Norwegian, with the quotes translated into English, Hovland said: “It would be a bit too silly to criticize the players for leaving. After all, you only hear one angle in the media, and there are quite a few different parts happening at the same time here.

"I totally understand why he left. That's a lot, a lot of money. And at least when the management of the PGA Tour has done such a bad job. Just to be clear: I'm not complaining about the position I'm in, and I'm very grateful for everything. But the management has not done a good job. They almost see the players as labour, and not as part of the members. After all, we are the PGA Tour. Without the players, there is nothing."

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund are currently engaged in talks to build upon the June 6th framework agreement ahead of the fast-approaching deadline of December 31st, but the consensus is that date will be pushed back and the golfing landscape will continue to be unsteady for the time being.

During a tumultuous period for Jay Monahan and his team, a group of 20 players recently wrote to the PGA Tour to "demand" greater transparency over potential investor proposals, while another set of anonymous golfers asked for "a special meeting" to address a number of issues they felt aggrieved at within the tour.

Continuing his critical assessment of the PGA Tour, Hovland said: "When you then get to see what happens behind closed doors, how the management actually makes decisions, which are not in the players' best interest, but best for themselves and what they think is best... They are not professional golfers after all. They are businessmen who say that ‘no, it should look like this and that’. There is a great deal of arrogance behind it all.”

Hovland ended the 2023 season in style by winning the Tour Championship by five shots, consequently scribing his name on the FedEx Cup and earning an $18 million bonus check. The 26-year-old later said that the eye-watering finances aren't something that gives him meaning and he would continue to live in Oklahoma for the foreseeable future.

The Norwegian later went on to help Team Europe win the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, alongside now-LIV Golfer, Rahm.

If you're wondering what to buy for a loved one over the holidays, check out our 19 Top Christmas Gifts For Golfers.

When Tiger Woods limped out of The Masters during the third round at Augusta National, it seemed inevitable he would face a spell on the sidelines, and that was confirmed days later when it was revealed he had undergone ankle surgery.

At that point, we could only speculate as to when he would return, but we now know the answer. After stepping up his preparations in recent weeks, he will take his place in the field of 20 for the Hero World Challenge, which is hosted by the 15-time Major winner and is a benefit for the Tiger Woods Foundation.

The tournament is an unofficial PGA Tour event, and while it counts towards world ranking points, it doesn’t offer FedEx Cup points. Meanwhile, even though there is still prize money available, it is not included on the money list.

The purse is considerably smaller than most PGA Tour events, at $4.5m, but that still dwarfs the money on offer at two of the world’s most revered national opens taking place on the DP World Tour at the same time -  AUD$1.7m at the ISPS Handa Australian Open and $1.5m at the Investec South African Open Championship.

The winner of the event at Albany in the Bahamas will earn $1m, while the runner-up will claim $350,000. There is no cut at the tournament, meaning there will even be prize money of $100,000 for the player finishing last.

Below is the prize money payout for the Hero World Challenge.

Hero World Challenge Prize Money Payout

Who Are The Star Names In The Hero World Challenge?

The field may be small, but it’s packed with quality. As well as Woods are six of the world’s top 10 – 2022 champion Viktor Hovland, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Open champion Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark, who won this year’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

That number would have been eight were it not for the withdrawals of US Ryder Cup dup Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. However, the two drafted in to replace them are hardly unknowns. Former US Open champion Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, who claimed victory at both the Wyndham Championship and FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, play instead.

Other big names include two-time Major winners Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, who has three Major wins, six-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler and Will Zalatoris, who  returns to action at this week's event after seven months out.

The 15th edition of the DP World Tour Championship once again concludes the season-long Race to Dubai at the Earth Course of Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Unlike 2022, the winner of the Race to Dubai has already been confirmed – Rory McIlroy claimed the Harry Vardon trophy a week early after another successful season on the Tour for the 34-year-old that included victories in the Dubai Desert Classic and Genesis Scottish Open.

While the prize money the four-time Major winner will receive for topping the standings for the fifth time has yet to be confirmed, the victor for the last four years has picked up $2m from the Race to Dubai bonus pool of $5m.

Last year, Jon Rahm beat Tyrrell Hatton and Alex Noren by two shots to claim the DP World Tour Championship title for the third time. That handed him a $3m windfall from the $10m purse, and it has increased to $10.5m this year, albeit with the same amount on offer to the winner.

Perhaps unsurprisingly considering its status, the event has the largest prize fund of any DP World Tour event and $1.5m more than the other four Rolex Series events over the season. 

The purse is also $2.1m more than that being offered by the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic this week, highlighting its position as one of the biggest tournaments in the calendar, even though that’s not reflected in the number of Official World Golf Ranking points available in it, which is fewer than the tournament at Sea Island.

While the winner will see a sizeable boost to his bank account, the payday for the runner-up will be considerable, too, at $1.275m.

Below is the full prize money payout for the DP World Tour Championship.

DP World Tour Championship Prize Money Payout

Who Are The Star Names In The DP World Tour Championship?

As well as the defending champion the biggest name in the field is Rory McIlroy, and many more of the world's best players are in the 50-man field, too, including 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who is going in search of his third DP World Tour Championship title. and the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup winner Viktor Hovland.

Other big names include six-time DP World Tour winner Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Kim, whose most recent start saw him claim victory at the Shriners Children’s Open. Major winner Shane Lowry and his Ryder Cup teammates Sepp Straka, Nicolai Hojgaard, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre also play.

Some players also have their sights set on a PGA Tour card as those who finish in the top 10 of the Race to Dubai standings, not otherwise exempt, will claim 2024 PGA Tour exemptions.

In prime position to earn their PGA Tour cards are Adrian Meronk, Ryan Fox, Victor Perez, Thorbjorn Olesen, Alexander Bjork, Sami Valimaki, MacIntyre, Jorge Campillo, Ryo Hisatsune and Rasmus Hojgaard.

Black Friday is approaching, so be sure to check out the Black Friday golf deals as selected by our experts.

How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream 2023

Rory McIlroy, who has not won in Scotland in his career, leads going into the final round by one a shot after a three-under par third-round. He was four under after 11 holes but, in his own words, “made that first bogey on 12 and it was a little scrappy coming in from there.”

It is congested at the top of the leaderboard with 17 players within 5 shots of the lead. There is a competition-within-a-competition in that the final three qualifying places for The Open will go to the three highest finishers at the Genesis Scottish Open who have not already qualified. Eric Cole and Byeong Hun An lead the chase for these places.

To make sure you miss none of the action, below are all the streaming and broadcast details on how to watch a Genesis Scottish Open live stream from wherever you are, as well as today's tee times.

The Genesis Scottish Open boasts a stellar field including defending champion Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jordan Spieth. Eight of the world’s top-10 ranked golfers will be playing with only Jon Rahm and LIV Golf’s Cam Smith absent. The field also includes the current US Open champion, and world number 11, Wyndham Clark, and past Major champions Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Adam Scott.

The Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. This, allied to it being played the week before the Open Championship with a prize fund of $9,000,000, has attracted many top golfers from the US circuit.

It is a modern course on the East Lothian coast adjacent to Muirfield, designed by American Tom Doak. It opened in 2008, and was extensively remodelled a few years later. Built with the intention of attracting top professional events, it has been home to the Scottish Open since 2019, and has also hosted the 2017 Scottish Senior Open and the Ladies Scottish Opens of 2019 and 2020.

The course is “packed with variety, originality and wow-factor,” according to our reviewer Rob Smith. Although not a true links course, it does blend aspects of links and inland golf, as it runs through and beside ancient pine woodland, along cliffs and over drystone walls. It opens with several holes carved through the forest before heading towards the Firth of Forth where the best holes are found around the turn.

If you're looking for a Genesis Scottish Open live stream, the article below will tell you how to watch the latest tournament from the DP World Tour.

UK TV Schedule – How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream

All times BST

Thursday, July 13: 8am-6.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, July 14: 8am-6.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, July 15: 7am-2pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, July 16: 7am-2pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking to sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else but you won't be able to tune into your regular streaming service if you're away from home because of geo-blocking. Fortunately, VPNs allow you to tune in from abroad and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. It's easy to use, boasts strong security features, is very easy to setup and is compatible with most major streaming devices, including the  Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation.

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US TV Schedule – How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream

All times EDT

Thursday, July 13: 8.30am-12.30pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, July 14: 8.30am-12.30pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, July 15: 4am-6am (Golf Channel)

Sunday, July 16: 4.30am-6.30am-12pm (Golf Channel) 

NBC's Golf Channel will televise the action from the Genesis Scottish Open. If you already have the Golf Channel as part of your cable TV package, then you're all set.

No cable? No problem. Try a cord-cutting TV service such as fuboTV ($74.99), AT&T TV Now ($80/m) or Sling ($51/m) to watch the Golf Channel. There are no long contracts with these services. You can try them and cancel whenever you've had enough. FuboTV has a 7-day free trial.

For Sling you'll need the Sling Blue package plus the Sports Extra add-on which usually has a very reasonable introductory price for your first month. Again, just cancel when you're done.

Australia TV Schedule – How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream

All times AEST

Thursday, July 13: 5pm-3.30am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, July 14: 5pm-3.30am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Saturday, July 15: 7.30pm-5am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, July 16: 7.30pm-5am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from North Berwick here, it also has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also good value at either $25 for Kayo One, $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 7-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favourite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their Tour live stream of choice.

Genesis Scottish Open tee times and pairings: Round 4

Leading players’ tee times (in PT/ET/BST/AEST) and scores:

* = not currently qualified into this year’s Open Championship

• 12.02am/3.02am/8.02am/5.02pm Xander Schauffele (-7), Tyrrell Hatton (-8), Sebastian Soderberg* (-8)
• 12.13am/3.13am/8.13am/5.13pm Joakim Lagergren* (-8), David Lingmerth* (-8), Robert MacIntyre (-8)
• 12.24am/3.24am/8.24am/5.24pm Max Homa (-9), Harry Hall (-9), Tom Hoge (-9)
• 12.35am/3.35am/8.35am/5.35pm Byeong Hun An* (-10), Scottie Scheffler (-10), Shane Lowry (-10)
• 12.46am/3.46am/8.46am/5.46pm JT Poston (-10), Eric Cole* (-10), Brian Harman (-11)
• 12.57am/3.57am/8.57am/5.57pm Tommy Fleetwood (-11), Tom Kim (-12), Rory McIlroy (-13)

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The PGA Tour is prepared to co-sanction the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open this week, teaming up with the DP World Tour for a field of 156 golfers competing at the iconic Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. We get to see eight of the world’s top 10 ranked golfers attempt to navigate the links course, headlined by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. 

Renaissance Club is a par 70 that contains three par 3s and three par 5s, relying on the coastal winds to serve as the biggest hazard against players this week. Greens are much bigger in surface area, comprised of fescue grass, which only runs 11.5 feet via Stimpmeter. The signature deep-walled sand bunkers and tall fescue in the two-and-a-half-inch rough create a much different, albeit challenging, course compared to recent events played on the PGA Tour. 

With the fourth and final major taking place at Royal Liverpool next week at The Open, the Genesis Scottish Open provides a great litmus test for players to adapt to playing golf on a links course. There’s no shortage of names on this slate either, as Rory McIlroy, defending champion Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and Viktor Hovland are set to tee off from Renaissance Club during Thursday’s opening round. 

Ball striking and sharp irons will be crucial to succeed in wet, windy conditions, but there are other ways to produce winning scorecards at a venue such as the Renaissance Club. Let’s explore six of my favorite PGA DFS prospects to target when constructing lineups this week to help build a strong foundation in order to cash out a few contests on DraftKings and FanDuel by the end of the tournament. 

Before we get into our Genesis Scottish Open DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Genesis Scottish Open selections this week.

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Patrick Cantlay ($10,200)

During the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, Patrick Cantlay wound up logging a T4 (-4) finish, saving his best effort for the final round, winding up -3-under-par. The 31-year-old Californian is still seeking his first outright win of the 2023 PGA Tour season, but he’s fully equipped to pop based on his versatile skillset. Renaissance Club is a difficult course to win, but Cantlay’s ball striking and irons and solid putter should keep him in contention. Cantlay ranks fifth in strokes gained tee-to-green, fourth off-the-tee, 21st approaching the green, and 22nd putting. Plus, he’s ranked first in total driving. Cantlay has five consecutive T30 finishes, including three T10s and a T5 in this recent span, so don’t hesitate to plug him in at a decent value in DraftKings lineups this week.

Tommy Fleetwood ($9,400)

Englishman Tommy Fleetwood is another golfer without an outright win this year, including his entire PGA Tour career. The 32-year-old joined Cantlay with a T4 finish at Renaissance Club in 2022, erasing a +3 first-round score with a -6-under-par scorecard in the final two rounds. Fleetwood has five T10s this season, including two in his past four events, but missing the cut at Travelers is a reason why we’re landing him at just $9,400 on DraftKings. The Englishman is a sharpshooter with his irons, solid with the putter. He totaled 15-24 birdies during his two-week stretch at the RBC Canadian Open and U.S. Open, brutally losing to Nick Taylor on a four-hole playoff. Fleetwood is due for an outright win, plus he’s comfortable playing at links courses, where he developed his game. At $9,400, Fleetwood is a priority add due to his high floor and high ceiling to match.

Robert MacIntyre ($7,400)

Scottish native, Robert MacIntyre, is one of 75 DP World Tour golfers competing in the Genesis Scottish Open this week. The 26-year-old Scot is going to feel comfortable playing links courses with the prevailing coastal winds, which already gives him a decisive edge. Plus, MacIntyre has recorded 14-20 birdies in four of his past five events on the DP World Tour. Yes, he missed the cut at this event last year, going +5 over par, but I strongly believe MacIntyre’s current form trumps his mishap from last season. At a cheap $7,400 salary, let’s invest in this salary-saving local, who aims to record his fourth T20 finish since June. 

FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary

Tyrrell Hatton ($11,300)

We’ve seen some quality golf out of Tyrrell Hatton this year, logging finishes of T5, T15, T12, T3, and T27 entering the Genesis Scottish Open. Hatton went T24 here last year, only going under par in the first round at -2-under-par, but he’s one of the best iron players on the PGA Tour. He’s ranked third in total strokes gained, including eighth tee-to-green, 10th off-the-tee, 17th approaching the green, and fifth putting. Still not convinced? Hatton ranks 14th in total driving, 18th in scrambling, and 25th going for the green birdie or better percentage. Whether it’s his soft touch, precision with approaches, or ability to finish on the green, the 31-year-old Englishman warrants serious consideration in FanDuel lineups this week, despite the elevated salary. 

Matt Fitzpatrick ($10,800)

I’m once again going with another Englishman who thrives on links-style courses such as Renaissance. Matt Fitzpatrick already has an outright win in 2023 at RBC Heritage, and his irons, along with strong putting prowess, give him an edge at Renaissance. Plus, he’s comfortable with this course. The 28-year-old is ranked 24th in strokes gained around the green, 18th in strokes gained putting, and 38th in tee-to-green. Scrambling is another strong piece of his game, ranked 17th, but the flat stick, ranked 11th in total putting, will generate enough birdies to label Fitzpatrick as an asset in FanDuel lineups this week.

Thomas Detry ($8,700)

It’s been a quiet stretch for Thomas Detry on the PGA Tour in 2023, but he returns to Renaissance Club, where he logged a T10 finish in 2022. The 30-year-old Belgian golfer has missed two consecutive cuts at events that saw plenty of birdies, so perhaps a more challenging links course fits his game better. Detry ranks 26th scrambling, 28th in hole outs, 15th in overall putting average, and 24th in one-putt percentage. Detry scores low on par 4s, which will be plentiful at Renaissance, along with ranking fourth in consecutive par 3 birdies made. Detry is cheaper than he should be due to a poor recent stretch, but I expect the slump to end this week, so make sure to insert him into your FanDuel lineups ahead of Thursday morning. 

The 2023 Genesis Scottish Open will get underway from the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, United Kingdom. After a couple of weeks without golf’s top players, the vast majority of the FedExCup and OWGR top ten will be competing in the Genesis Scottish Open field, headlined by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Other notable names include Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, defending champion Xander Schauffele, and 2021 winner Min Woo Lee, who more than doubled Schauffele’s winning scorecard during his victory two years ago.

While the Genesis Scottish Open has been an event since opening in 2007, this is only the second year with the PGA Tour serving as a co-sanctioning entity, along with the DP World Tour, which is Europe’s version. 75 players from each Tour are set to compete at Renaissance Club this week, where the coastal winds, big greens, tall fescue, and deep-walled sand bunkers will be a stark contrast from the birdie fests we’ve watched during the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic the last couple of weeks. 

Ball striking will be huge, along with quality putting, per usual. Look for players from the United Kingdom, such as McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and Matt Fitzpatrick, to feel a bit more comfortable competing at this links course, which is what most of them grew up playing on. That’s not to say fading players from other countries is a smart decision, as California native Xander Schauffele secured the outright win here a year ago with his sharp iron play. However, Rai, a British golfer, won this event in 2020.

Let’s explore the outright betting odds leaderboard as it currently sits, then recap previous winners, a few relevant betting stats, and an in-depth course overview of the Renaissance Club. Finally, I’ll reveal my favorite golfers with lucrative outright odds to wager ahead of Thursday’s first round from North Berwick, Scotland.

Before we get into our picks for the Genesis Scottish Open, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Genesis Scottish Open selections this week.

Genesis Scottish Open Betting Odds

2023 Genesis Scottish Open Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Xander Schauffele (-7)
• 2021 - Min Woo Lee (-18)
• 2020 - Aaron Rai (-11)
• 2019 - Bernd Weisberger (-22)
• 2018 - Brandon Stone (-20)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
• Strokes Gained Approaching the Green
• Greens in Regulation percentage
• Sand Save percentage
• Scrambling
• Total driving

Course Layout

The Renaissance Club is a par 70 that runs over 7,200 yards with all of the signature designs of a British golf links course. Designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2007, the Renaissance Club will use coastal winds, deep sand bunkers, and massive greens to challenge golfers throughout the event.

Greens in regulation remains an important stat to focus on from an outright betting perspective, but hole proximity needs to be factored in as well. The deep walled sand bunkers are another staple of British golf links, punishing errant lies, along with the tall fescue serving as the primary rough, demonstrating why strong tee shots and approach shots will determine the fate of a player’s round. There are more trees located at Renaissance Club than seen at other golf links, while the doglegged fairways and lengthy par 3s are other difficult aspects to overcome on the quest of winning the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open. 

Top Players To Bet For Outright Genesis Scottish Open Winner

Rory McIlroy (+750) (Bet $100 to collect $850) Go to DraftKings for the best Rory McIlroy odds

It’s a bit chalky to start, but I like the form we’ve seen from Rory McIlroy during his last five events. The 34-year-old native of Northern Ireland struggled for a duration but has since tallied finishes of T7, T7, T9, second, and T7 entering the Genesis Scottish Open. McIlroy is well-known for his powerful driver, and strokes gained off-the-tee, ranking first in driving distance. However, his irons are pristine and do not get discussed enough. McIlroy ranks second tee-to-green, second off-the-tee, eighth approaching the green, and 13th around the green in strokes gained metrics. However, his putter is a liability on links courses with bigger greens than the standard 5,500 square foot average on the PGA Tour. This could wind up being an advantage for McIlroy. Let’s jump on these +750 odds now before McIlroy begins to climb the leaderboard.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200) (Bet $100 to collect $2,300) DraftKings has the best Matt Fitzpatrick odds

Last year, Matt Fitzpatrick logged a T6 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, going -4-under-par in the second round to pull himself out of an over-par opening round. Fitzpatrick had an outright win at the RBC Heritage earlier this spring while ranking 18th in strokes gained putting, 24th in strokes gained around the green, and 38th tee-to-green. He’s a quality driver, ranked 42nd, which will be helpful at a links course like Renaissance. At 22/1, oddsmakers are bullish on Fitzpatrick, as we should be. He’s ranked 17th in scrambling, 11th in total putting, and 21st in bogey avoidance. Let’s lay a unit on Fitzpatrick to ball on a course layout he’s well versed in, relying on his irons and sound putting to go on a run this week at Renaissance.

Sungjae Im (+4000) (Bet $100 to collect $4,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Sungjae Im odds

Sungjae Im went +7 and missed the cut at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, but I have faith in his outlook this week. He’ll be seeking revenge, which starts with making the cut. We’ve seen the 25-year-old South Korean native dip down a bit lately, but he’s still got seven T10 finishes this season. Plus, Im ranks as one of the best overall iron players, going 28th strokes gained tee-to-green, 21st off-the-tee, and 30th around the green. His putter is an asset, not a weakness, ranked 48th in strokes gained putting, along with ranking 22nd in total driving. Im has converted over 34 percent of birdie attempts, which is top-15 on the PGA Tour this year. I’m betting on a strong bounce-back but only laying half a unit, which is more than enough to remain valuable at 40/1 odds.

Aaron Rai (+7500) (Bet $100 to collect $7,600) For the best Aaron Rai odds go to DraftKings

2020 Genesis Scottish Open winner, Aaron Rai, has enjoyed a strong campaign on the PGA Tour in 2023. The 28-year-old Englishman has three T10 finishes, two of which have come in the last three events Rai has competed in. He’s ranked 24th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 36th approaching the green, and 33rd in total driving. His driving accuracy percentage is ranked sixth, which affords Rai the ability to avoid bad lies, such as fescue and sand traps. Rai’s strongest asset is finding greens in regulation, ranking 12th at a 69 percent conversion rate, but his putter will have to perform better in order to secure his second victory at this event in four years. 70/1 is pure value, so even sprinkling Rai’s outright odds is enough to return value on investment this week.

Seamus Power (+10000) (Bet $100 to collect $10,100) DraftKings has the best Seamus Power odds

We’re digging deep into the high-value with Seamus Power’s outright 100/1 odds to win the Genesis Scottish Open. The 36-year-old Irishman has three T10 finishes this season, alongside two career wins, including earlier this season at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Power just logged a T13 finish at a birdie fest at TPC Deere Run, but he’s another UK golfer who should feel comfortable early on adapting to the links course. Power ranks 48th in strokes gained around the green, 24th in strokes gained putting, and 18th in total putting. He converts over 32.8 percent of birdie attempts, which is 42nd on the PGA Tour, and he’s 15th in three-putt avoidance. A hot flat stick usually keeps a player in contention, even with other mediocre aspects to their game, so sprinkling on Power’s 100/1 odds feels like an obligatory longshot wager to place. Plus, he’s ranked 31st in par breakers, 12th in bounce back, eighth in par 3 scoring average, and 23rd for consecutive greens in regulation. This number is too long, and we need to take advantage of it before Power gets off to a solid start on Thursday at the Renaissance Club.

Brooks Koepka said he has "basically given up" on Matthew Wolff and called the young American's talent "wasted".

Koepka is captain of the LIV Golf team 'Smash GC', with Wolff joining the side ahead of the second season of the 54-hole series. Wolff recently withdrew after the opening round of the Washington DC tournament before his name was removed from Smash GC's social media bios, amid reports that he had left the quartet.

Wolff remained on Smash GC but it seems that his captain, five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka, isn't his biggest fan.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Alex Micelli, Koepka didn't hold back his feelings on Wolff and in particular his attitude and work ethic.

“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that's not competing,” Koepka told Sports Illustrated at this week's LIV Golf London event.

“I'm not a big fan of that. You don't work hard. It's very tough. It's very tough to have even like a team dynamic when you've got one guy that won't work, one guy is not going to give any effort, he’s going to quit on the course, break clubs, gets down, bad body language, it's very tough.

"I've basically given up on him. A lot of talent, but I mean the talent's wasted.”

Wolff graduated from Oklahoma State University alongside Viktor Hovland after winning the NCAA Division I individual championship. He turned pro at a similar time to the Norwegian and Collin Morikawa, with all three lauded as future stars.

Wolff won on the PGA Tour in just his third professional start at the 2019 3M Open, where he eagled the final hole to beat Bryson DeChambeau and Morikawa. He would then go on to hold the 54-hole lead at the 2020 US Open, which DeChambeau won, before taking two months away from golf in 2021 to deal with his mental health.

He has since joined LIV Golf but he has yet to show his full potential. He sits 25th in the standings this year, with his best finish of 5th coming at the Orlando event in April.

“I'm here, you know, trying to do what I can to play the best round of golf and that's going to help the team,” Wolff told Sports Illustrated.

“I'm just here to focus on myself and try to play some good golf and that's what everyone's really trying to do, because golf is trying to put the best score up and then if that helps your team it's great.”

Wolff went on to describe Koepka's comments as "heartbreaking."

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The PGA Tour gets back to its regularly scheduled programming this week as players head East for the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. However, you’d expect a drop off in the field’s talent following the third Major of the year, this week’s elevated status, and the $20 million in prize money that’s involved.

With eight of the top 10 in the world scheduled to tee it up this week, let’s take a closer look at the five I have at the top of my 2023 Travelers Championship power rankings.

Before we get into our picks for the Travelers Championship power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Travelers Championship selections this week.

Travelers Championship Odds

Travelers Championship Course - TPC River Highlands - Cromwell, CT

Coming in just over 7,400 yards, long hitters will have less of an advantage this week than they did last week at Los Angeles Country Club. Coming in as a Par-70, TPC River Highlands features just two Par 5s, with 10 of its 12 Par 4s coming in at less than 450 yards. Approach shots will be key, as will putting, as the best putters on Tour have a great shot this week. 

Travelers Championship Power Rankings

Scottie Scheffler (+650) Bet $100 to collect $750 Go to DraftKings for the best Scottie Scheffler odds

For Scottie Scheffler, when the putter is going, no one on Tour can beat him. We started seeing flashes of it again on Sunday at LACC, and I think he puts it all together this week. 

Jon Rahm (+1200) Bet $100 to collect $1,300 DraftKings has the best Jon Rahm odds

Jon Rahm has been awfully quiet as of late, by his own standards, and it should be just a matter of time before he pieces it all back together. With the playoffs approaching, expect that to be soon.

Rory McIlroy (+1200) Bet $100 to collect $1,300 For the best Rory McIlroy odds got to DraftKings

It became a two-man race on Sunday at the US Open with Rory McIlroy and eventual champ Wyndham Clark. Taking one step closer to his first Major since 2014, and Rory has plenty to build on in this one. 

Xander Schauffele (+1600) Bet $100 to collect $1,700 Head to DraftKings for the best Xander Schauffele odds

If it were not for a triple-bogey early on Sunday, Xander Schauffele could very well have been in the mix late. The game is there, and he’s firmly in the mix nearly every week at this point. 

Tommy Fleetwood (+3500) Bet $100 to collect $3,600 DraftKings has the best Tommy Fleetwood odds

While many don’t think he has a chance in this stacked field, as the odds suggest, Tommy Fleetwood has some of the best value on the board as I’m concerned. Back-to-back top 5s in even more stacked fields than this week, and Fleetwood should have all the confidence in the world to post some low numbers this week.

The 2023 Travelers Championship is the final designated event of the PGA Tour season and will take place this week at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Due to its elevated status, 14 of the top 20 ranked golfers in OWGR are set to compete in an absolutely loaded field. TPC River Highlands consistently delivers a great atmosphere from its fans, but it also will feature way more red scorecards than we saw during the U.S. Open at LACC during Wyndham Clark’s win this past weekend.

DFS slates will once again have a ton of value to acquire on the lower salary brackets, as well as offering up plenty of blue-chip prospects to insert into lineups, albeit at a premium. Two of our recommended plays last week, Tommy Fleetwood (T5) and Wyndham Clark (1st), provided a significant return on investment, which we love to see. While others, like Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka, made the cut but couldn’t put together a complete round. Adam Scott missed his first cut, and Max Homa, who was a trendy pick due to setting a course record at LACC during his collegiate career, also joined Scott with a missed cut. Overall, it was a mixture of good and bad results, so we’ll attempt to piece together stronger overall lineup suggestions at the Travelers Championship this week.

TPC River Highlands has small Poa Annua and bentgrass greens, measuring 12 feet on the Stimpmeter and 5,000 square feet on average, rewarding ball strikers. It also has tough scrambling conditions and more water hazards than we’ve seen at recent events, alongside four-inch Bluegrass rough in the penal areas flanking tree-lined fairways. Players with hot putters are always a commodity, but inserting a prospect who is dominant off-the-tee, tee-to-green, and around the green will net just as much production in DFS lineups this week. 

Let’s get into six of my favorite players to target when constructing DraftKings and FanDuel PGA lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round at the 2023 Travelers Championship.

Before we get into our Travelers Championship DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Travelers Championship selections this week.

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Viktor Hovland ($9,900)

My favorite blue-chip prospect at this elevated event is Viktor Hovland, who recently just secured his first outright win at the Memorial Tournament, another designated event. The 25-year-old Norwegian is ranked 17th or better in strokes gained approaching the green, tee-to-green, and off-the-tee while ranking fourth in total driving. He’s improved his putting ability, which led to his outright win at Muirfield, but his salary is cheap for a top prospect on DraftKings due to his quiet 19th-place finish at even par during the U.S. Open. Hovland logged a T11 finish during his last appearance at TPC River Highlands in 2021, so don’t miss out on the bounce-back from one of the outright betting favorites this week.

Harris English ($7,700)

Harris English won the 2021 Travelers Championship, and he’s been playing excellent golf lately, logging finishes of T3, MC, T12, T52, and T8, entering Thursday’s first round at TPC River Highlands. English is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour this season, ranking 14th in strokes gained putting while sinking 18 birdies during the U.S. Open last week en route to a T8 finish. While he is lacking in other areas, English is 29th in strokes gained around the green and ranks 30th in scrambling, which will be a massive skillset to possess at a course that is more difficult than normal when it comes to saving par after missing the greens. At a mere $7,700 salary, English is an automatic insert into DraftKings lineups this week, especially at a course where he’s comfortable, securing the outright win in 2021 and finishing T19 in 2022. 

Brian Harman ($7,500)

I’ve been favoring Brian Harman more in DFS contests lately, and he has not disappointed. Harman has yet to secure an outright win at TPC River Highlands, but the Georgia native has four T10 finishes in his last five appearances at Travelers, plus he’s coming off of a 14-birdie outing at the U.S. Open. Yes, he’s averaging just 59.3 FPPG this season, but Harman does some things very well, including ranking 39th for greens in regulation, 14th scrambling, and 20th in sand save percentage. Plus, he’s equipped with an accurate driver that will keep him away from errant lies, which is key to maintaining the production we’ve seen from Harman at recent events. Based on his current form and comfort level at this event, this could be his best finish since a T7 at RBC Heritage. Grab Harman and plug him into your lineups without hesitation. 

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Scottie Scheffler ($12,300)

I wanted to emphasize Viktor Hovland as my favorite blue-chip prospect, but Scottie Scheffler continues to stay cemented in the top five no matter which event he’s competing in. The 26-year-old Texan and World No. 1 ranked golfer is firing on all cylinders when it comes to his irons, ranking first in total strokes gained, including first tee-to-green, off-the-tee, and approaching the green. He’s also ranked second in total driving, so his only liability is the putter, which we’ve seen heat up slowly over the last couple of events. Yes, Scheffler is the most expensive player on FanDuel’s slate this week, but we cannot blame them due to his consistency and the massive floor he provides. Anchor your FanDuel lineups with Scheffler and watch him continue to work magic with his irons at the final elevated event of the 2023 PGA Tour season.

Denny McCarthy ($9,200)

Denny McCarthy has been on fire lately, despite falling short against Viktor Hovland at the Memorial Tournament a couple of weeks ago. The 30-year-old has finishes of T25, T8, T29, T73, and T20 since the RBC Heritage, using his incredible putting ability, ranked fourth in strokes gained putting, to generate production and stay near the top of leaderboards. Plus, McCarthy ranks seventh in scrambling and averages 69.8 per round, ranked 16th lowest on the PGA Tour this season. McCarthy has not fared well at TPC River Highlands in 2021 and 2022, but I’m confident he’ll continue to linger around a T25 finish or better based on his current form. $9,200 is a good value on FanDuel, especially when spending up for Scheffler, so go ahead and get McCarthy into your lineups with confidence.

Justin Suh ($8,300)

This is my first time this season recommending Justin Suh, but his results are consistent and create a high floor to chase at a low salary. Suh is another quality putter, ranked 11th in strokes gained putting this season while ranking 18th in three-putt avoidance. Suh tends to start hot, scoring a lot of birdies early, so you don’t have to worry about a missed cut. He’s gone T25, T8, T29, MC, 2nd, and T20 leading up to Travelers, so let’s ride his current form, despite not flashing in other areas, and land an easy return on value investing in Suh’s putting prowess at the final designated event of the year.

Following his victory last month at the PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka will undoubtedly enter this week’s US Open full of confidence. Along with his victory, the five-time Major champion also came close at Augusta National the month prior, when he faltered in the final round to finish second at The Masters to Jon Rahm.

However, the American made no mistake at Oak Hill in May as he put on a consummate and clinical ball-striking display to win by two strokes over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland.

It marked a remarkable turnaround for the LIV golf star, who endured a torrid year with a knee injury in 2022, which saw him fail to make the cut at The Masters and The Open while finishing 55th at the PGA Championship and US Open that year. 

Knee injuries seemingly banished, and with impressive showings in the first two Majors of 2023, the 33-year-old will be one of the favourites to perform well at Los Angeles Country Club in a tournament that he has already won twice. 

Those back-to-back victories came in 2017 and 2018 and, with three top-five finishes as well, it is clear Koepka has the ability and know-how to thrive in the often difficult US Open conditions.

However, it is not just his impressive track record and recent form that points to Koepka being in contention at LACC, but also a statistical quirk based on recent winners of the US Open. 

According to Twitter's OWGR expert Nosferatu (@VC606), the average world ranking of the US Open winner in the last five and ten years was 13 which, coincidently or not, is the exact spot that Koepka currently resides in the world rankings. 

It remains to be seen whether Koepka can capture his sixth Major championship but, he will need to harness all his previous experience to stave off other contenders from the stellar 156-man field. 

Koepka gets underway at 1.54pm local on Thursday with 2021 Masters Champion Hideki Matsuyama and World No.3 Rory McIlroy, who will look to build on his three successive top-ten finishes and capture his first Major since the 2014 PGA Championship.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick defends the trophy that he won at the Country Club in Brookline last year, while World No.1 Scottie Scheffler will seek to add to his Masters triumph in April last year. 

After winning The Memorial Tournament following a hard-fought four days culminating in a playoff with Denny McCarthy, few would have begrudged Viktor Hovland some time off before next week’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Instead, Hovland is heavily involved in final qualifying for the third Major of the year, dubbed Golf’s Longest Day, as a caddie! The Norwegian is on the bag for his friend Zach Bauchou at a qualifier in Ohio, less than a day after claiming his fourth PGA Tour win at Muirfield Village.

According to the Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, Bauchou sounded Hovland out about the possibility of him caddying for him over dinner last Tuesday night, which Hovland agreed to.

The pair used to be roommates at Oklahoma State University, so their friendship goes back some time. However, carrying the bag for the gruelling 36-hole marathon so soon after his mentally and physically exhausting win in the designated event is an impressive show of commitment. According to Lewis, he's not shirking any of his responsibilities, either. 

Bauchou, who mainly plies his trade on the Asian Tour, has yet to compete in a Major, but he will be hoping the influence of the new World No.5 gives him the inspiration to finally break that duck.

A video also shows Hovland offering encouragement to Bauchou as the pair make their way around the course, as well as the pair sharing in some lighthearted banter. 

As for Hovland, he is preparing for his fifth appearance in the US Open and will be looking to improve on his best finish in it to date, a tie for 12th in 2019. If his form in 2023 is anything to go by, there’s every chance he will. As well as his latest PGA Tour win, he finished T7 at The Masters and T2 at the PGA Championship.

Elsewhere, club pro Michael Block, who finished T15 at Oak Hill, is also competing in US Open final qualifying. Other notable names hoping to qualify include LIV Golf players Marc Leishman, Carlos Ortiz, Brendan Steele, Sebastian Munoz, Harold Varner III and Peter Uihlein. Ryder Cup captains Luke Donald and Zach Johnson compete too. One LIV Golf player who had been due to play is Matthew Wolff. However, he has withdrawn through injury.

Rory McIlroy may have put Holywood, Northern Ireland, on the map, but he’s not their latest smash hit – that’ll be Tom McKibbin.

The 20-year-old showed nerves of steel to win the European Open in Hamburg at the weekend, his first DP World Tour title – and McIlroy was quick to offer his congratulations.

“Very well,” replied the Ulsterman, when asked how well he knew the young phenom. “I watched every shot this morning. I was really happy for him.

“For 20 years old he showed so much composure. And, yeah, look, he’s been, we’ve all known from back home the potential that he has, but I think to break through and win for the first time at 20 years old is, there’s a bright future ahead of him.”

McIlroy was speaking after a frustrating day at Muirfield Village. Tied for the lead through 54 holes, he carded seven bogeys to fall out of contention, and he finished a distant four shots back of eventual champion, Viktor Hovland.

However, he was never going to miss the opportunity to congratulate a fellow Holywood Golf Club graduate, and he offered glowing praise for the golfer who he has known for many years.

“So proud of him, McIlroy added. “I've known Tom since he was 10 years old. And to see his progression and see where he is today and get that first win in Europe is, was really cool to see.”

Tour rookie, McKibbin, who started the week ranked 335th in the world, closed out in style with a birdie at the par-5 18th, and he was understandably thrilled to get over the line.

“It's pretty amazing, yes, it's been a good day," McKibbin told Sky Sports. “I was in a good group with Jordan [Smith] and David [Law] so it was pretty nice. It was just nice to go out there and put a really, really nice round together.

“I've learnt that I am good enough to win. I always thought I was but to prove it today was pretty special. I guess I have learnt a lot from failures and missing cuts by a shot and just missing things ever so slightly.

“So to take all of those things that I have learnt and to put them into play tonight was really nice. It will probably not sink in until tomorrow. To have my dad here, he comes most weeks, is pretty special. To win in front of him is pretty amazing.” 

McKibbin also spoke of the role McIlroy has played so far in his career. Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster, he said: “I probably wouldn't be here right now if he hadn't helped me along the way.

“He's been amazing with me. I've been very fortunate to spend a lot of time with him and be in his presence.”

And McKibbin revealed that McIlroy had sent him a message of congratulations prior to beginning his own final round at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio. 

It would have been quite the double had they both won, but that may still happen at some point, especially with McKibbin on the up and with his DP World Tour playing rights for 2024 guaranteed.

“He said 'well done', and that he was very proud of me, and that he was watching out there on the TV so that was pretty cool,“ he added.

“I've got to play with him a good few times, pick his brain a bit and ask him things. He's been definitely very helpful to me.“

The Memorial Tournament 2023 Live Stream

The PGA Tour heads to Ohio this week for the Memorial Tournament, an elevated event with an outstanding field. The world's top-5 players are competing - Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. One man who isn't is Max Homa who is going to his sisters wedding. 

Of course there are then a whole host of top-quality players in the field as well - players like Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Matt Fitzpatrick. We also get another look at top amateurs Sam Bennett and Aldrich Potgieter as well. 

We also have a golf course that will provide a clear test for these top players. Muirfield Village is known for its thick rough and firm greens, and the 2023 tournament will mark the event's third playing since another renovation. 

The tournament also has an illustrious history. Hosted by Jack Nicklaus, this event is one of the longest on Tour held at the same venue, having debuted at the course in 1976. Below are all the broadcast and streaming details for the event.

The Memorial Tournament Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else in the world. Below we have a full list of options but anyone away from their home country can still watch the action by using VPNs.

VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking and and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. It's easy to use, boasts strong security features, is very easy to setup and is compatible with most major streaming devices, including the  Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation.

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US TV Schedule - 2023 The Memorial Tournament

All times EST

Thursday, June 1: 2pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, June 2: 2pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, June 3: 12.30pm-2.30pm (Golf Channel), 2.30pm-6pm (CBS)

Sunday, June 4: 12.30pm-2.30pm (Golf Channel), 2.30pm-6pm (CBS)

NBC's Golf Channel will televise action during the week and CBS will takeover when the tournament heats up over the weekend. Bearing this in mind you can access the Golf Channel through streaming options such as AT&T TV Now and fuboTV.

AT&T TV Now starts at around $55 a month but does have a 7-day free trial. While fuboTV also offers the Golf Channel and 100+ other channels and also has a 7-day free trial.

We also recommend Sling TV in the US as well. At $51 per month, Sling Blue with the Sports add-on brings NBC and Golf Channel, and it is also half price for your first month.

UK TV Schedule - 2023 The Memorial Tournament

Thursday, June 1: 5pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, June 2: 5pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, June 3: 4.30pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, June 4: 4.30pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports Channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Australia TV Schedule - 2023 The Memorial Tournament

Thursday, June 1: 9.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, June 2: 9.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, June 4: 2.30am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Monday, June 5: 2.30am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

The PGA Tour coverage in Australia obviously means getting something great to watch early in the morning. As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from Ohio here, it has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It of course also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also fantastic value at either $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 14-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favorite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their PGA Tour live stream of choice.

The Memorial Tournament Tee Times

(Selected)

• 7.53am - Emiliano Grillo, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland
• 8.05am - Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa
• 8.17am - Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim, Rickie Fowler
• 8.29am - Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, Cameron Young
• 8.41am - Nick Hardy, Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry
• 12.41pm - Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Hideki Matsuyama
• 12.53pm - Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton
• 1.05pm - Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas

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The 2023 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is set to get underway at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Patrick Cantlay will try to secure his third outright win at the Memorial Tournament in the past five years. He’s currently 10/1 to pull off the win, which would be his first of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season. Of course, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked golfers in the world, sit atop the outright betting leaderboard. 

It’s a newly Designated event, which means the 120 golfers in the field are among the best on the Tour. We get action from all of the top performers, plus a ton of value on quality players that are flying under the radar based on current form or historical performances at Muirfield. Jack Nicklaus designed this course in his hometown of Dublin, Ohio, and he’s made continuous tweaks to it over the decades since its inception on the PGA Tour in 1976. 

Precision will continue to be the way to stay atop the leaderboard at this course, as the doglegged fairways, fast-paced Bentgrass greens, and various hazards will challenge all phases of a player’s game. It will be worth it, with an elevated purse worth $20 million with $3.6 million reserved for the outright winner, plus 550 FedExCup points that will be crucial down the stretch with only a dozen events remaining before the FedExCup playoffs invite the top 70-ranked players on the PGA Tour later this summer. 

Before we get into our picks for the Memorial Tournament, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Memorial Tournament selections this week.

Memorial Tournament Betting Odds

2023 Memorial Tournament Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Billy Horschel (-13)
• 2021 - Patrick Cantlay (-13)
• 2020 - Jon Rahm (-9)
• 2019 - Patrick Cantlay (-19)
• 2018 - Bryson DeChambeau 

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green
• Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
• Driving Accuracy percentage
• Scrambling
• Sand save percentage

Course Layout

Muirfield Village Golf Club is a par 72 that tips over 7,500 yards. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead and opened nearly 50 years ago, this course has undergone several restoration efforts to implement a modern feel on a track that was inspired and named after Nicklaus' Open Championship win several decades ago. The greens are now fully Bentgrass, removing the old Poa Annua mixture, while several tee boxes have been adjusted with moves closer and further from certain holes. The final five holes on the back nine at Muirfield will be the toughest test, with what’s known as the hardest hole saved for last on the par 4 18th. 

There are four par 5s this week, creating more birdie and eagle opportunities, while the greens are roughly 5,000 square feet in regulation, putting them on the smaller side of average on the PGA Tour. The rough is nearly four inches in some spots, while water hazards, including a few creeks, rear up along and across certain fairways. High temperatures should keep the Bentgrass moving quickly, while the fairways will need to be hit to avoid deep rough that could create havoc on approach shots. Ultimately, precision off the tee and approaching the green will be paramount to success. Unless of course, players can navigate the high-velocity Bentgrass with their putter. 

Top Players To Bet For Outright Memorial Tournament Winner

Patrick Cantlay (+1000) (Bet $100 to collect $1,100) Get the best Patrick Cantlay odds at FanDuel

It might be a bit too obvious, but taking Patrick Cantlay’s outright odds at 10/1 feels like a steal, especially since he’s won twice in the past four events at Muirfield Village. The Californian is still seeking his first outright win of the season, but he’s collected seven T10 finishes, including a T9 at the second major during the PGA Championship. There are numerous metrics backing Cantlay this week, whether he’s ranked fourth in total strokes gained, seventh tee-to-green, first in total driving, and finding greens in regulation at over a 70 percent clip. Confidently back Cantlay’s precise irons and accurate putting into getting him his third win at The Memorial Tournament since 2019. 

Jason Day (+2800) (Bet $100 to collect $2,900) Go to FanDuel for the best Jason Day odds

Jason Day hasn’t won at The Memorial Tournament, but he came close in 2020, drawing a T4 finish here in July 2020. The 35-year-old Aussie just ended his five-year win drought at the AT&T Byron Nelson, so expect his confidence and game to be fully dialed in and rolling at one of the most difficult par 72 courses that he’ll face this season. Day is ranked 13th in strokes gained putting, 16th in total driving, and second in scrambling, and averages 4.36 birdies per round, which is seventh-best on the PGA Tour. At 28/1, we’re getting fantastic value betting on Day to collect his 14th career win, his second outright of the year, and first at Muirfield Village.

Sahith Theegala (+6000) (Bet $100 to collect $6,100) FanDuel has the best Sahith Theegala odds

Sahith Theegala is due for his first outright win on the PGA Tour. He’s earned seven T10 finishes this season and secured a T5 finish at Muirfield Village in 2022. The Californian has slipped outside the top 50 in his last two events played, including the second major of the season at the PGA Championship, which is why Theegala is such an immense value at 60/1 entering this Designated event. His metrics aren’t as eye-popping as other players. Still, Theegala had a lot of success at The Memorial Tournament in his debut last year and should rebound nicely, so don’t hesitate to sprinkle on his longshot 60/1 odds for his first career win on the PGA Tour. 

The PGA Tour returns to another designated event this week, as Muirfield Village Golf Club will play host yet again to the Memorial Tournament, this year presented by WorkDay. With the elevated status, the stars will be out, as this year’s field is headlined by the top two players in the world; Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm are scheduled to tee it up Thursday in Ohio. 

Rory McIlroy will also be looking to get back on track following a brief hiatus from the Tour, as he and 149 others of the world’s best look to get in shape ahead of the season’s third major in just two weeks. Let’s dive into the top five on this week’s PGA Power Rankings at the Memorial Tournament. 

Before we get into our picks for the Memorial Tournament power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Memorial Tournament selections this week.

Memorial Tournament Odds

Memorial Tournament Course - Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, OH

Coming in at just over 7,500 yards, Muirfield is designed by Jack Nicklaus, both originally in 1974 and via the redesign in 2020. With Bentgrass greens, the course features bunkers and water on almost all 18 holes and provides the world’s best challenges from the opening tee box. 

Memorial Tournament Power Rankings

Jon Rahm (+750) (Bet $100 to collect $850)

A past winner here, I give Jon Rahm the slight edge over Scottie Scheffler not just because of that, but he had last week off to rest while Scheffler ground another top five. 

Scottie Scheffler (+600) Bet $100 to collect $700 The best Scottie Scheffler odds are at DraftKings

With three top-fives in the last three outings, no one is playing more consistent golf than Scottie Scheffler. He also had a third-place finish in his last time here back in 2021. 

Patrick Cantlay (+1000) (Bet $100 to collect $1,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Patrick Cantlay odds

A perfect six for six in terms of cuts made here, Patrick Cantlay is the only player in this event’s history to win it twice. He also has two other top-fives in those six starts. Definition of a horse for the course here at Muirfield.

Rory McIlroy (+1200) (Bet $100 to collect $1,300) Find the best Rory McIlroy odds at DraftKings

Rory McIlroy’s T7 at the PGA championship largely went unnoticed, as it looks like the time off served him well. Look for a strong showing with a handful of top 10s in 11 appearances here.

Xander Schauffele (+1200) (Bet $100 to collect $1,300) Go to DraftKings to get the best Xander Schauffele odds

Xander Schauffele is another guy quietly playing great golf despite the narratives around him, with eight top 10s already this season.

It’s essentially a three-man competition heading into Sunday as Adam Schenk (-10), Harry Hall (-10), and Harris English (-9) get set to battle it out for the roughly $1.57 million winning prize at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Hall surprisingly maintained his lead after posting a two-over Saturday round.

Schenk shot three-under en route to tying the Englishman at the top of the leaderboard. Then, English’s even round on Saturday kept him within striking distance of the two lower-ranked OWGR golfers. 

On Saturday, Justin Suh and Viktor Hovland were the biggest movers, each shooting four-under at Colonial Country Club. Suh has a one-stroke edge over Hovland as the American sits at -6 for the tournament. 

Suh and Hovland are in the midst of a massive logjam in those competing just outside of the three above-mentioned players. Twelve golfers reside in the range of -6 to -4, which makes things interesting from a sports betting perspective. The top-five and top-10 odds are quite lofty, considering there is so much space to be gained (or lost). Let’s dive into how I’m betting Sunday’s final round in Fort Worth.

Before we get into our Charles Schwab Challenge picks, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Charles Schwab selections this week.

Charles Schwab Challenge Picks - Live Picks

Harris English To Win Outright (+250) (Bet $100 to collect $250) Get the best Harris English odds at DraftKings

The oddsmakers suggest rolling a die when it comes to choosing an outright winner for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge. All three of the players in contention are north of a +200 payout but sit inside of +300. Schenk (-10) is the favorite at +225, followed by English (-9) at +250 and Hall (-10) at +280. I’m locking in Harry English to win this event as he has been playing excellent golf recently. 

Although he missed the cut last weekend at the PGA Championship, English placed T3 in his prior outing at the Wells Fargo Championship. In the Zurich Classic just before that, he finished T13. All of his recent efforts have seen him climb the OWGR leaderboards up to 39th in the world. 

Finally, English has found success at this course in the past. In 2016 at Colonial, the 33-year-old placed second overall, finishing three strokes behind Jordan Spieth. All things considered, Harry English appears to be the best bet for an outright winner. 

Viktor Hovland Top Five Finisher (+180) (Bet $100 to collect $280) Go to DraftKings for the best Viktor Hovland odds

As I mentioned above, we have some really intriguing odds when it comes to players finishing inside of the top-five and top-10. There are basically 12 golfers in a position to claim two spots inside of the top five, making Sunday’s final round very exciting. 

I’m going to take a shot and say Viktor Hovland finishes the tournament inside the top five at +180. The Norwegian is currently T6 at -5 and posted the best score of the day on Saturday (-4). I expect him to build off of the third-round performance and secure a top-five position. 

This will be Hovland’s best finish at Colonial Country Club, as he placed T21 (-2) last year and T23 (-8) in 2020. Nonetheless, he’s been playing fantastic golf recently, as he’s currently sixth overall in the World Golf Rankings. Look for Hovland to finish the tournament on a high note and place inside the top five. 

Charles Schwab Challenge – Live Odds Entering Sunday

Charles Schwab Challenge 2023 Live Stream

The PGA Tour heads to Texas his week for the Charles Schwab Challenge and despite being a few days after the PGA Championship there is an excellent field for the event. Defending champion Sam Burns returns as does PGA Championship runner-up and world number one Scottie Scheffler. 

Viktor Hovland is looking to get over PGA Championship disappointment as well and some other big names in the field are; Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler. Of course PGA Professional Michael Block is also in the field after a stunning performance at the PGA Championship. 

The PGA Tour is playing the John Bredemus/Perry Maxwell design for the 78th time this week and the club will undergo a $20 million renovation, led by Gil Hanse, after the tournament.

Additionally the winner of this year's event will get a 1973 Ford Bronco. Previous winners got a 1973 Dodge Challenger, a 1946 Power Wagon, and 1979 Pontiac Firebird. Below are all the broadcast and streaming details for the event.

Charles Schwab Challenge Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else in the world. Below we have a full list of options but anyone away from their home country can still watch the action by using VPNs.

VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking and and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

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US TV Schedule - 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge

All times EST

Thursday, May 25: 4pm-7pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, May 26: 4pm-7pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, May 27: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

Sunday, May 28: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

NBC's Golf Channel will televise action during the week and CBS will takeover when the tournament heats up over the weekend. Bearing this in mind you can access the Golf Channel through streaming options such as AT&T TV Now and fuboTV.

AT&T TV Now starts at around $55 a month but does have a 7-day free trial. While fuboTV also offers the Golf Channel and 100+ other channels and also has a 7-day free trial.

We also recommend Sling TV in the US as well. At $51 per month, Sling Blue with the Sports add-on brings NBC and Golf Channel, and it is also half price for your first month.

UK TV Schedule - 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge

Thursday, May 25: 5.30pm-midnight (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, May 26: 5.30pm-midnight (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, May 27: 4pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, May 28: 4pm-11.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports Channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Australia TV Schedule - 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge

Thursday, May 25: 11pm-9am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, May 26: 11pm-9am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, May 27: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Monday, May 28: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

The PGA Tour coverage in Australia obviously means getting something great to watch early in the morning. As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from Texas here, it has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It of course also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also fantastic value at either $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 14-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favorite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their PGA Tour live stream of choice.

Charles Schwab Challenge Tee Times

(Selected)

• 8.53am - Nick Hardy, Si Woo Kim, Billy Horschel (10)
• 9.04am - Davis Riley, Sam Burns, Scottie Scheffler (10)
• 9.15am - Chris Kirk, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth (10)
• 9.26am - Tom Hoge, Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood (10)
• 1.33pm - Taylor Moore, J.T. Poston, Joel Dahmen (1)
• 1.44pm - Kurt Kitayama, Viktor Hovland, Cam Davis (1)
• 1.55pm - Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Collin Morikawa (1)
• 2.06pm - Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, Zach Johnson (1)
• 2.28pm - Michael Block, Min Woo Lee, Pierceson Coody (1)

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After what became the Michael Block show late into Sunday, the second major of the year has now come and gone as we turn our attention to Fort Worth, Texas, for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge. In what will be the 77th time the event has been played at Colonial Country Club, this event is the longest-standing on Tour and, as always, attracts big names despite being just after the PGA Championship. 

Let’s take a closer look at the course and the top five guys according to my PGA Power Rankings for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge.

Before we get into our Charles Schwab Challenge power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge selections this week.

Charles Schwab Challenge Odds

Charles Schwab Challenge Course - Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, TX

While it might not be as long as last week’s challenge at Oak Hill Country Club, the Colonial CC still offers plenty of challenges as it is notoriously amongst the hardest these PGA Tour pros see every year.

Charles Schwab Challenge Power Rankings

Scottie Scheffler (+400) (Bet $100 to collect $500) The best Scottie Scheffler odds are at DraftKings

Even when he plays seemingly poorly, Scottie Scheffler finds a way to compete, finishing top 3 last week after a strong finish. The No. 2 player in the world behind only Jon Rahm, Scheffler is the heavy favorite this week for a good reason. 

Viktor Hovland (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Go to DraftKings for the best Viktor Hovland odds

If not for an errant shot that required a drop on 16 last week, Viktor Hovland very well could have been in, at the very least, a playoff with Brooks Koepka last week. With two top 25s here, Hovland has all the tools to compete.

Jordan Spieth (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Head to DraftKings for the best Jordan Spieth odds

Despite dealing with an injury, Jordan Spieth played admirably last week at Oak Hill, proving to most his injury isn’t as bad as many had thought. With nine top-15 finishes in 10 appearances here, look for another strong showing this week from Spieth.

Tony Finau (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) For the best Tony Finau odds head over to DraftKings

In what will be his eighth time here, Tony Finau has never missed a cut and has finished as high as T4 (last year).

Collin Morikawa (+1600) Bet $100 to collect $1,700 DraftKings has the best Collin Morikawa odds

Collin Morikawa hasn’t been in the winner’s circle in quite some time, the 2021 Open Championship being the last. Even still, this is a two-time Major winner who is finally starting to strike the ball well again.

Scottie Scheffler may have failed to add a second Major title to his name after finishing tied for second at last week’s PGA Championship, but it didn’t stop him moving back to the World No.1 position.

He appears in the Charles Schwab Challenge this week, hoping to build on that achievement at Colonial Country Club.

The 26-year-old’s finish at Oak Hill was the latest in a string of impressive performances in 2023, including victories in two of the year’s highest-profile tournaments to date, the WM Phoenix Open and The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

While Scheffler is looking put the disappointment of last week’s near miss in the past with victory here, the player who shared his finishing position in the PGA Championship had even more reason for despondency. 

Scheffler trailed eventual winner Brooks Koepka by four going into the final round. That’s in contrast to Viktor Hovland, who needed to claw back just one shot on the LIV Golf player as they teed it up on Sunday.

At times, it had looked as though momentum was swinging in Hovland’s favour, too. However, disaster struck on the 16th when he failed to get a shot out of the bunker, which left Koepka and opening he took with both hands. Still, the performance was enough to see Hovland leap five places in the rankings to World No.6, and he’s the second-ranked player behind Scheffler this week.

It takes something special to steal the headlines from the eventual winner of a Major, but Michael Block managed just that. The club pro defied the odds to finish tied for 15th at the tournament, guaranteeing not just a raft of new fans, a handsome pay cheque, and a place in next year’s tournament, but also an invite to this week's event. There will be plenty of attention on the 46-year-old as he attempts to prove those heroics, which included an outrageous slam dunk hole-in-one, were not a one-off.

Scheffler, Hovland and Block take big enough stories into the week, but that’s before we even get to the defending champion, Sam Burns, who beat Scheffler in a playoff in 2022. The American missed the cut at last week’s tournament but could barely have hoped for a better opportunity to get back on track after his victory a year ago.

Nevertheless, if overcoming the World No.1 and World No.6 isn’t enough, not to mention the potential for Block to cause another big upset, Burns also has to contend with the challenges of World No.7 Max Homa, 2016 Charles Schwab Challenge victor Jordan Spieth, and World No.12 Tony Finau, who recently saw off Jon Rahm to win the Mexico Open. 

Other strong contenders are likely to be World No.19 Sungjae Im and the man four places behind him in the rankings, Tommy Fleetwood. 

When you include other notable names including two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa, Arnold Palmer Invitational champion Kurt Kitayama, and Justin Rose, who not only finished tied for ninth at Oak Hill but also won the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2018, this is a field to be reckoned with, even for a tournament without designated event status.

There are other former winners to look out for, too, including Kevin Kisner, who won in 2017, 2015 winner Chris Kirk, and US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, who won in 2010 and 2012.

Players are competing for a purse of $8.7m, an identical sum to the Farmers Insurance Open. The winner will receive $1.56m.

Below is the prize breakdown and field for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.

Charles Schwab Challenge Prize Money

Charles Schwab Challenge Field

• Alexander, Tyson 
• An, Byeong Hun 
• Baddeley, Aaron
• Bezuidenhout, Christiaan 
• Bhatia, Akshay
• Blair, Zac
• Block, Michael
• Bramlett, Joseph 
• Buckley, Hayden 
• Burns, Sam
• Champ, Cameron
• Cole, Eric 
• Compton, Erik
• Coody, Pierceson 
• Daffue, MJ 
• Dahmen, Joel
• Davis, Cam 
• Detry, Thomas 
• Donald, Luke
• Dou, Zecheng 
• Duncan, Tyler 
• Eckroat, Austin
• Endycott, Harrison 
• English, Harris 
• Finau, Tony 
• Fleetwood, Tommy 
• Fowler, Rickie 
• Fox, Ryan
• Frittelli, Dylan 
• Gordon, Will 
• Gribble, Cody 
• Griffin, Ben 
• Grillo, Emiliano 
• Haley II, Paul
• Hall, Harry 
• Hammer, Cole 
• Hardy, Nick 
• Harman, Brian 
• Henley, Russell 
• Herbert, Lucas
• Hickok, Kramer
• Higgo, Garrick 
• Higgs, Harry 
• Hodges, Lee 
• Hoge, Tom
• Homa, Max
• Horschel, Billy 
• Hossler, Beau 
• Hovland, Viktor 
• Hubbard, Mark 
• Im, Sungjae 
• Jaeger, Stephan 
• Johnson, Zach 
• Kim, Michael 
• Kim, S.H.
• Kim, Si Woo 
• Kirk, Chris 
• Kisner, Kevin 
• Kitayama, Kurt 
• Kizzire, Patton
• Knox, Russell 
• Lashley, Nate 
• Lee, K.H.
• Lee, Min Woo
• Lingmerth, David
• Lipsky, David 
• List, Luke
• Long, Adam 
• Lower, Justin 
• Malnati, Peter 
• Martin, Ben 
• McCarthy, Denny 
• McNealy, Maverick 
• Merritt, Troy 
• Moore, Taylor 
• Morikawa, Collin 
• NeSmith, Matt 
• Noren, Alex 
• Norlander, Henrik 
• Norrman, Vincent 
• Novak, Andrew 
• Palmer, Ryan 
• Piercy, Scott 
• Poston, J.T. 
• Putnam, Andrew 
• Rai, Aaron 
• Ramey, Chad 
• Reavie, Chez 
• Riley, Davis 
• Rodgers, Patrick 
• Rose, Justin 
• Ryder, Sam 
• Sabbatini, Rory 
• Scheffler, Scottie 
• Schenk, Adam 
• Schwab, Matthias 
• Shelton, Robby 
• Sigg, Greyson 
• Smalley, Alex
• Smotherman, Austin 
• Spaun, J.J.
• Spieth, Jordan 
• Stallings, Scott 
• Stevens, Sam 
• Straka, Sepp 
• Streelman, Kevin 
• Suh, Justin 
• Tarren, Callum 
• Taylor, Ben 
• Taylor, Nick 
• Todd, Brendon 
• Tway, Kevin 
• Van Rooyen, Erik 
• Walker, Jimmy 
• Wallace, Matt 
• Werenski, Richy
• Westmoreland, Kyle
• Willett, Danny 
• Wu, Dylan 
• Young, Carson

After an absolutely thrilling week in Rochester at the PGA Championship, the PGA Tour now heads south to Texas for the Charles Schwab Challenge, one of the longest-standing events of the PGA Tour. Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, remains one of the most iconic golf courses on the PGA Tour, and its narrow corridors and a large plurality of short to middle iron approaches will provide a far different test than what many of the world’s best were tasked with last week at Oak Hill. 

While this will be a natural off week for many that were competing at the year’s second major, the Charles Schwab Challenge still boasts an incredibly strong field. Coming off a disappointing missed cut at Oak Hill, Sam Burns will return to defend his title. Both of last week’s second-place finishers, Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland, will also attend. Former champion Jordan Spieth and top-25 players such as Max Homa, Sungjae Im, and Tommy Fleetwood will all be making the trek to the Lone Star State.

Before we get into our picks for the Charles Schwab Challenge, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge selections this week.

Charles Schwab Challenge: Course Preview

Colonial

Colonial Country Club is an old-school, classical golf course designed in 1935 by the great Perry Maxwell. Despite advances in modern technology, Colonial is one of the only sub-7,200 yard golf courses that can still truly challenge the world’s best. Is it in need of some updates? Absolutely, and I cannot wait to see the restorative work that Gil Hanse is in the midst of completing. 

Unfortunately, we will not get to see the finished product until the 2024 event. Yet still, Colonial manages to provide an astute test. Colonial annually ranks as one of the harder courses on Tour despite its less than imposing length. Narrow tree-lined fairways and small, heavily bunkered greens play a role in that. Yet the amount of wind and rainfall that the course gets remain the true determining factor. Last year, we saw Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns battle it out on an extremely baked out and windy Colonial. I’m not sure I would bank on this year being as threatful as last, but the weather forecast is always something to pay keen attention to in Texas. 

This week, I will primarily be looking for players with strong course history, as Colonial has some of the stickiest year to year results on Tour. I will also be looking for players that have a proven track record of success on shorter, positional golf courses. Colonial is the type of course that has allowed players such as Zach Johnson, Kevin Kisner, and Kevin Na, amongst others, to find repeated success. 

With that being said, we’ve also seen Jason Kokrak, Sam Burns, Scottie Scheffler, and Tony Finau take a more aggressive driver heavy approach in recent years that has also led to considerable success. There are many roadmaps to success off the tee at the Perry Maxwell classic, but the second shot still remains of upmost importance. Short to middle iron play this week is absolutely crucial, and I will also be looking for those that excel from 125-200 yards.

Charles Schwab Challenge Key Stats

• Strokes Gained Total: Short Par 70 Courses
• Long-term Proximity 150-200 yards
• Strokes Gained Off the Tee: Short Courses

Charles Schwab Challenge: Outright Winner

Jordan Spieth (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) BetMGM has the best Jordan Spieth odds

I’m not quite sure what others will make of Jordan Spieth’s PGA Championship, but I view it as a resounding positive. How Spieth, with slightly above-average distance, was able to gain nearly six strokes off the tee at Oak Hill is beyond me, but here we are. The three-time major winner entered the year’s second major with a serious injury concern, and he was coming to an extremely poor ball-striking performance at the Wells Fargo. He then withdrew from an event in his hometown, with whom he shared the presenting sponsor. 

While the result at Oak Hill may not look as impressive on the surface, Spieth completely answered the bell from a ball-striking standpoint and fell victim to a faulty short game and putter. I would not expect that to continue this week at Colonial, where Spieth has gained around the green in nine of ten appearances, as well as a combined 23 strokes putting in his last four times on these greens. In 10 appearances at Colonial, Spieth has nine top-15 finishes, with a win and three runner-ups. He has by far the best course history in this field, he’s due for a win, and he’s in peak ball-striking form. I know that it’s a steep price to pay, but sometimes it’s wise not to overthink it.

Collin Morikawa (+1600) (Bet $100 to collect $1,700) FanDuel has the best Collin Morikawa odds

It’s hard to believe that a player of Collin Morikawa’s caliber has not found the winner’s circle since the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. While he is elite enough to be judged on his victories, this has still been an incredibly impressive season for the two-time major winner. Morikawa is coming off a 26th at the PGA Championship, where he gained over four strokes on approach, and he put together one of the best ball-striking rounds on the course on Sunday. 

Now he travels to a course that is far better suited for his skill set. Morikawa is an incredibly accurate driver of the ball, and he remains the best short-to-middle iron player in this field. While the short game and putting have certainly been a problem for him this season, he gained in both short game categories at the PGA Championship, an encouraging sign as he now heads to a golf course that should offer far more benign greenside areas and putting surfaces. Morikawa is simply too strong of a player to stay down for this long, and Colonial is the perfect spot for him to end his winless drought.

Up until the 16th hole on Sunday, Viktor Hovland had been going toe-to-toe with Brooks Koepka, with the young Norwegian keeping himself in contention to claim a first Major title at the PGA Championship.

However, after his tee shot found a fairway bunker at the 16th, it soon unravelled for the 25-year-old as his next shot slammed into the lip of the bunker and plugged deeply. As a result, Hovland was forced to take a drop and, after his fourth found the green, he could only two putt for a double bogey, with his chances of lifting the Wanamaker Trophy gone.

Visibly gutted about the actions of the past hour, a dejected Hovland was seen in the scorer's tent before he headed over to fulfill his media duties and, speaking after his round, he simply stated: "It sucks right now."

Describing the moment at the 16th, he explained that: "(I) just didn't get out of the bunker. Plugged in the lip and tried to get a drop and made a double bogey. It was a 9-iron."

Despite missing out on a Major title, his record at the big events continues to get better, with a T4 result at the Masters in April being followed by a T2 finish at the PGA Championship this week. "It is really cool to see that things are going the right direction," claimed Hovland. "If I just keep taking care of my business and just keep working on what I've been doing, I think we're going to get one of these soon."

In the end, it was Koepka who would get the better of his playing partner, with the LIV golfer firing a three-under-par final round of 67 to secure a two shot win over Hovland and Scottie Scheffler.

Not only was the win his third PGA Championship title, but also his fifth Major trophy, with the result making Koepka the 20th male golfer to reach the feat of five Major titles.

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman and fellow players including Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Kevin Na were quick to congratulate the 2023 PGA Champion Brooks Koepka following his victory at Oak Hill.

The 33-year-old captured his third Wanamaker Trophy and fifth Major title in Rochester, New York, where he defeated new World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland by two strokes.

Koepka was congratulated across social media by various key figures and big names in the game, and the PGA Tour even awkwardly were forced to post about the player who they suspended after he joined rival LIV Golf last year.

Take a look at how social media reacted to Brooks Koepka's PGA Championship victory...

Koepka posted a final round of 67 (-3) to reach nine-under-par, beating World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and playing partner Viktor Hovland by two strokes.

It's his first Major title in four years and comes after he has been plagued by injuries. He described this one as the "sweetest".

"This is probably the sweetest one of them all because all the hard work that went into this one, this one is definitely special. This one is probably it for me," he said.

He moves up to 13th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Brooks Koepka propelled himself all the way up the leaderboard, where he currently holds the lead after two consecutive four-under rounds at the PGA Championship. The American is the betting favorite (+120) heading into Sunday action as he looks to hold off Viktor Hovland (-5) and Corey Conners. 

Koepka’s fellow LIV Tour golfer Bryson DeChambeau resides in fourth place (-3) after shooting par on Saturday. Meanwhile, it’s Scottie Scheffler (-2) and Justin Rose in a tie for fifth. Scheffler, the world’s second-ranked golfer, posted a forgettable three-over round on Saturday, potentially taking him out of contention. 

In my opinion, this is looking like a three-man race down the stretch. However, there’s still plenty to compete for on Sunday as 76 participants tee it up in Rochester, NY. Let’s dive into how I’m betting on Sunday’s PGA Championship.

Before we get into our PGA Championship Picks, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 PGA Championship selections this week.

PGA Championship Picks - Live Picks

Corey Conners to Beat Bryson DeChambeau Head-to-Head (+100) (Bet $100 to collect $200 Get the best Corey Conners odds at DraftKings

I’d be remiss if I didn’t weigh in on an outright winner for the PGA Championship. So, considering Koepka has shot two straight four-under rounds, I’d say it’s his tournament to lose. No one is catching him if he does it for a third consecutive round. However, if he opts for a more conservative approach, I wouldn’t be surprised if Corey Conners makes a move and closes the one-stroke gap. I don’t mind a play on him at +500 to win this tournament outright. 

Let’s put it this way when comparing my confidence in similar payouts, I have more faith in Conners (+100) beating Bryson DeChambeau (-115) head-to-head than Koepka holding down the lead and capturing the Major Championship (+120). So, I think backing Conners in this capacity is a better bet.

In an odd way, it says more about DeChambeau than Koepka and Conners. DeChambeau has simply been less consistent when compared to Conners. He has three bogeys and two double bogeys over the last 36 holes, which have led to one-over and even rounds. Conners, on the other hand, has been very steady. The Canadian posted one double bogey on Saturday and a bogey on Friday. With this treacherous course, I’ll opt for the stability that comes with Conners in a head-to-head fourth-round matchup with Bryson.

Rory McIlroy Top Five Finisher (+130) (Bet $100 to collect $230) DraftKings has the best Rory McIlroy odds

Two-time PGA Championship winner Rory McIlroy has been lurking in the shadows this weekend. I don’t think he’ll be able to make a huge move to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday, but I think there is room for him to move up. He’s currently in a standalone seventh place at -1 overall. He’s been getting his footing under him as the tournament progresses, steadily improving upon his one-over round on Thursday. 

So, if McIlroy is to make it into the top five, it means that someone needs to drop out or at least place slightly worse than the Northern Irishman. Well, I wasn’t very inspired by Scheffler’s three-over performance on Saturday. He just didn’t have it. Furthermore, I think it’s more likely that DeChambeau drops down another stroke, and the threshold for a top-five spot becomes two-under.

If that’s the case, we could see McIlroy move into a four-way tie for fifth with Rose, Scheffler, and DeChambeau, or maybe even leapfrog them all. I guess the point I want to drive home is that I’m confident McIlroy is going to take another step forward and that there will be room for him to climb. I think this is great value with a plus-money payout. Let’s lock in Rory for a top-five finish on Sunday. 

PGA Championship– Live Odds Entering Sunday

Brooks Koepka saw off the challenges of Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler to win his third and most thrilling PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

In lifting the Wanamaker Trophy, Koepka joins an exclusive group of players that includes Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer to win five or more Majors before the age of 34.

"This is incredible, this is wild," Koepka said. "I look back on two years ago and everything that happened and I'm just at a loss for words.

"I don't know the list of guys who have won five time but to be with the list of names is incredible. This is incredible and I'm so happy to do it in front of these New York fans - I love you guys."

The enormity of the moment clearly wasn't lost on Koepka, who cut an emotional figure walking up 18 after all but wrapping up the victory with a laser-like iron shot. Once renowned as a Major clinician, he has been open about his injury struggles and loss of form that had him questioning whether he'd experience another moment like this.

There were also the Masters demons to lay to rest after blowing a four-shot lead to Jon Rahm. On this Sunday, he answered every question asked of him and then some.

Starting with a one-shot lead amid a smattering of boos, he was the clear favourite. But heavy is that crown. However, if there were any nerves he didn't reveal them.

Three birdies in a row from the second briefly put him back in that familiar position - four clear. Back came Hovland, who surely proved beyond doubt he is now a golfer ready to get over the line in the biggest events.

Bogeys at six and seven reduced Koepka's advantage to one as the pair traded blows in a brilliant battle. 

In fact, if not for a couple of pivotal moments early in the back nine, the destination of the trophy could have been different. Koepka holed mammoth putts on 12 and 13 to maintain his slender lead before Hovland's challenge eventually collapsed on 16.

Mimicking almost identically what happened to Corey Conners on Saturday, the Norwegian drilled his second from the fairway bunker into the lip, resulting in a double-bogey that put Koepka four up with two to go.

Scheffler's back-nine charge kept it competitive right to the death, but Koepka made no mistake on 18, finding fairway, green and two-putting for a closing 67 and a two-shot victory that will surely have larger ramifications that will play out in the ensuing weeks.

While some of that might be a little unsavoury, what was anything but was the story of Michael Block. Koepka might have captured the trophy but Block captured the hearts, writing the most incredible final chapter to a wonderful story.

The 46-year-old club pro was part of a blockbuster pairing with Rory McIlroy and once again stole the show, making a miraculous slam dunk hole-in-one on the par-3 15th en route to finishing in a tie for 15th and earning an exemption into next year's tournament.

But after the week of his life, his attention turned to his fellow club pros. "I've got an exemption so that means one more club pro will make it into the tournament next year."

What a man, what a winner, what a championship!

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD 2023

• -9 Koepka
• -7 Scheffler, Hovland
• -3 Kitayama, Davis, DeChambeau
• -2 Straka, McIlroy

USEFUL LINKS

• WATCH: Club Pro Michael Block Makes Slam Dunk Hole-In-One At PGA Championship
• What Is The PGA Championship Playoff Format?
• All You Need To Know About 2023 PGA Championship
• How To Watch The PGA Championship
• Why Are Players And Caddies Using Rangefinders At The PGA Championship?

FINAL DAY IS HERE

PGA Championship Sunday is here, and the first news should be to tell you that the weather forecast looks much better than on Saturday.

GOOD MORNING ALL

Hello to you all, Sam here and I will be updating you on all things PGA Championship for the next three hours. Super excited for today!

BEST PAIRINGS FOR FINAL DAY

As I am sure you've seen already, there are some awesome pairings for the final day today. Here are some of my favorites...

• 8.20am: Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson
• 8.50am: Padraig Harrington, Matt Wallace
• 10.40am: Dean Burmester, Jon Rahm
• 10.50am: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
• 12.10pm: Tyrrell Hatton, Chris Kirk
• 14.00pm: Rory McIlroy, Michael Block
• 14.30pm: Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland

That final group in particular, can Hovland step up his game against one of the biggest alpha's in the sport?

FINAL ROUND PIN LOCATIONS

In case you hadn't seen, here are the pins for the final round. 2 and 8 should be very fun indeed!

COOL, COOL, COOL

Love everything about this. Shoutout to Block for doing it, CBS, everyone. The more this happens the better as far as I am concerned.

WHO WILL BE HOISTING WANAMAKER TODAY?

The Wanamaker is one of the coolest trophies in sport let alone golf and I have a sneaky suspicion Brooks Koepka will be hoisting it aloft for the 3rd time come end of play today. Regardless we put together a history of the famous trophy which is definitely worth a read. 

PERKS OF PGA WIN?

We also put together a post on the perks of winning a PGA Championship. How many can you name? Answer coming soon...

QUIZ ANSWER

The bullet point answers are below, to get into specifics have a read of our piece on the perks. 

• Prize Money
• Trophy
• Lifetime Exemption
• Major Exemptions
• Tour Memberships
• World Ranking Points
• FedEx Cup Points
• Other Tournament Exemptions
• Champions Dinner

SHOT OF THE TOURNAMENT?

Somehow I missed this shot by Justin Suh yesterday and my oh my, this might be the best shot from the tournament so far. Happy to be told otherwise.

LOL AT THIS...

FINAL ROUND TV COVERAGE

US COVERAGE (times in EST)

Sunday, May 21: 8am-10am ESPN+, 10am-1pm ESPN, 1pm-7pm CBS

UK COVERAGE (times in BST)

Sunday, May 21: 2pm-12am (Sky Sports Golf)

LIFE CHANGING DAY AHEAD FOR BLOCK?

If Block can get it done today then wow, an epic, life-changing week. 

HOW FAR BACK IS TOO FAR BACK?

To put the answer to that question simply, I think Rory at one-under is the furthest player from Koepka at six-under that still has a chance. We saw Justin Thomas come back from seven last year, and Oak Hill is one tough beast, so anything could be possible today, but I do think Koepka will get it done. 

JT, MICKELSON START ROUNDS WELL

The American pair have both started their final rounds well. Thomas has parred his first three holes whereas Mickelson birdied the 2nd and parred the other two holes. 

FUTURE PGA CAHMPIONSHIP VENUES

I know we are still in the midst of the Oak Hill tournament, but here are the next few venues for the PGA Championship. 

PERFECT WEATHER OUT THERE RIGHT NOW

Oak Hill is bathed in sunshine at the moment and there is only a slight breeze, at least according to the giant flags near the practice range. It looks absolutely perfect and I wish I was actually playing golf. 

Given the conditions, are we going to see someone go super low today? Or is the difficulty of the course going to keep players form doing so?

ALL INFO ON OAK HILL

Shoutout to my colleague Mike Hall for writing a piece on 'how can I play Oak Hill'. Just Googled that very phrase and there is loads of good stuff in there on who designed it, previous Major Championships and such. However it doesn't look like I will ever get to play it...

6 CONTINUES TO BE A BEAST

I know you all know this, but 6 is insanely tough this week. Looks like both Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas found the penalty area to the right and have a long way in from there. Could get ugly for them both. 

HOMA TEES OFF

Popular American Max Homa has just teed off and goes way left, double crossing it after trying to fade it. It seemed like it hit a golf cart as well and I have no idea where it has finished. Audible gasps from the crowd!

His playing partner JT Poston finds the fairway. 

RORY MCILROY SHOE REVIEW COMING SOON

I know this is not PGA Championship related but I have just taken delivery of some Nike Victory Tour 3 shoes (Rory's model) and I am so excited to test them out. First thoughts were the color finish is sick, and the shoe overall looks a touch more refined than the previous Victory Tour 2 model. Stay posted for comprehensive review soon. 

THESE GUYS ARE GOOD

I referenced Homa's terrible tee shot earlier, well he has just holed a mid-range putt for par. After his drive I didn't think he would have a chance at par but hey, these guys are very good. 

COURSE PLAYING TOUGH AGAIN

Just went through the leaderboard and there are only three guys under par right now by my count. I know its early in the morning in New York but there are plenty of guys out on the course currently so my point still stands! 

Mickelson birdies 7 beautifully by the way, to get back to level par for the day.

NEAR HOLE IN ONE

Adrian Meronk has just come the closest I have seen this week to a hole-in-one. He hits an absolute beauty to stone-dead on the 5th hole. That should get him to +7 I believe. (If wrong my apologies, the PGA leaderboard is incredibly slow at updating). 

HANDING OVER TO ANDY WRIGHT

As always my three hour shift has absolutely flown by and I am handing over to a very good golfer in his own right, Andy Wright. So stoked to see how this tournament ends. 

Good afternoon

Thanks, Sam, top job as always. I echo those sentiments - can't wait to see how this plays out. The sun is shining but the course should still be quite soft after yesterday's rain, which should be a potent combination for some thrilling action. Time will tell.

Dahmen the showman

He might be well off the pace at +11, but Joel Dahmen is still putting on a show for the fans at Oak Hill.

JT birdies 10

The defending champion makes his first birdie of the day at the 10th to get back to two-over for the day and +12 for the tournament.

Rahm underway

The World No. 1 has just got his final round going alongside Dean Burmester. Rahm cut a frustrated figure yesterday, shouting at cameramen and chucking clubs. He'll be keen to put all that right and finish on a high.

Adrian!!!

Meronk is on the move. He's showing what's possible out there today with four straight birdies from the fifth to get to +5.

Rahm makes early move

He's had little to cheer about this week but you can never write him off. Rahm birdies the first to get back to +5. 

Here's Jonny

Rahm makes it back-to-back birdies to begin his final round and is now +4. If he can get back to level by the turn and mount a back-nine charge, you never know...

He has missed the green on the par-3 third so faces a tricky up-and-down to maintain his momentum.

Birdies for JT and Phil

The birdies are flowing now. The latest are made by JT and Phil Mickelson, with the pair getting back to +11 after 13 holes.

Mito Pereira is also on the move, birdieing the first to get to +4.

Rahm saves par

The Spaniard gouged his ball out the rough long of the third, leaving himself around 15ft for par. He slots it to stay +4 and does a subtle fist-pump for good measure. 

Brooks out to join exclusive club

Koepka can join an illustrious group of players to have won five Majors before turning 34 should he lift the Wanamaker Trophy in about eight hours' time. 

Phil the Thrill

Classic Mickelson on the par-3 15th. He would save par and remain +10.

DJ makes bounce back birdie

Dustin Johnson bounces back from a bogey on the third with a birdie on the fourth to get back to +5.

Alongside, Spieth two-putts the fourth for a second birdie of the day to get to +4.

Lightning start for Xander

After back-to-back birdies for Xander Schauffele to kickstart his final round, he's stuck it in to about 10ft on the long par-3 third to get back to +2. 

Spieth in the drink

After an excellent start, Jordan Spieth has dumped his second into the water on the treacherous sixth. He'll do well to just drop one shot.

Defending champion signs off

Justin Thomas' PGA Championship defence comes to an end. It wasn't the week he wanted but he did well to make the cut at Oak Hill and signs off with a 72 to finish +12 for the tournament.

His playing partner, Phil Mickelson, gives the fans on the 18th something to cheer about with a closing birdie for a +10 total.

Back-to-back bogeys for Spieth

Spieth dropped a shot on the sixth and followed that up with another drop at the seventh to fall back to level par for the day and +6 for the tournament. Shame, a Spieth Sunday charge at a Major is something special.

At the second, Cam Smith gets his first birdie of the day and he's +3 and within nine of the lead. 

Best rounds of the day

Is anyone lighting it up? Let's browse the leaderboard. Adrian Meronk and Callum Tarren are so far compiling the rounds of the day at four-under through 15 holes. 

Adam Scott and Chez Reavie are both -3 for their rounds through 11 and five holes respectively. Elsewhere, Cam Smith has just followed up a birdie on the second with a birdie at the third. 

There's definitely a low one to be had out there.

Svensson and Straka make fast starts

Adam Svensson and Sepp Straka immediately get a shot closer to the lead, with the pair nailing lengthy birdie putts on the first to get to +2. We're fast approaching the final tee times on day four here.

Another birdie chance for Reavie

A dart into the seventh leaves Chez about 6ft for another birdie to get to four-under for the day and +1 for the tournament. Scoring conditions are perfect. 

Touch of class

Justin Thomas gave one lucky fan his lob wedge after finishing his round and title defence. Classy move!

How's Rahm doing?

After a quick start, Rahm's momentum has stalled with eight straight pars. He's still battling hard, though, at four-over for the tournament.

Three in a row for Smith

The Open champion is on the move. Cam Smith makes it three birdies in a row on the par-5 fourth to get back to +1 and into a tie for 10th.

Can he do what he did at St Andrews last year and produce a comeback win for the ages? He'll probably need to shoot something around 60 but he's made the perfect start.

Handing over

It's over to Thomas Patrick Clarke, who makes a rare appearance on the live blog. Enjoy it while it lasts, folks. I'll be back in a few hours! 

LET'S DO THIS

Thanks Andy for the last few hours... Andy fans.. don't worry he will be back later on!

LEADERS ARRIVE AT OAK HILL

Brooks Koepka and Viktor Hovland have arrived at the course - will one of them be hosting the Wannermaker Trophy later?

BIRDIES ON OFFER TODAY

There have been some good scoring early on - Adam Scott 4 under thru 13 and Cameron Smith is 3 under thru 5. So expect someone to start fast!

ANOTHER BIRDIE FOR SMITH

4 under thru 6 holes... more of this please.

MY KIND OF GUY

Braden Shattuck, winner of the 2023 PGA Professional Championship, missed the cut at this week’s PGA Championship, but he still considered his first major championship to be “phenomenal.” 

Asked to name a few highlights during the week, he came up with one you wouldn’t hear most pros here say: "Player dining," he said. 

“That’s something you don’t get on the mini-tours,” said Shattuck, 28, who birdied his final hole on Friday to shoot 73 after an opening 79. Shattuck is Director of Instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club just outside Philadelphia. “We usually eat at Chipotle.”

Braden... I love your thinking - food is always the most important thing at a golf club.

HOLE LENGTHS FOR THE FINAL ROUND

246 yards for a par 3... a little excessive!

MICHAEL BLOCK - WHAT'S AT STAKE

The story of the week is without doubt PGA Professional Michael Block - the 46 year old could qualify for other Majors, and even get a special PGA Tour membership. He tees off with Rory McIlroy in 20 minutes. 

EARLY BOGEY FOR LOWRY

Not a great start for the 2019 Open Champion - his par putt lips out and he drops to +2 - that could be the end of his outside hopes already.

DOUBLE FOR DUSTIN

DJ was well fancied this week, but a double bogey on 13 drops him to +8 - 14 shots back from his mate Brooks.

INCREDIBLE RECEPTION FOR BLOCK 

Loudest cheer of the day so far is for Michael Block as he walks onto the 1st tee... what a story!

BLOCK LOOKS NERVOUS... OF COURSE

As Rory McIlroy walked onto the 1st tee, I think it is the first time I have seen Block look really nervous. He has been on the course for hours this morning already, being followed by the Netflix Full Swing documentary crew. I hope he has enough energy for the test ahead.

RORY HITS A BOMB

McIlroy launches one down the middle of the 1st - perfect start.

BLOCK FINDS SAND

What an ovation for the PGA Professional, he hits one on the same line as Rory, but can't carry the bunker. Still gets a roar as he walks off the tee - hopefully that calms him down.

NEW NAMES IN TOP 10

Sepp Straka and Min Woo Lee have both managed to get to level par - they are now in the top 10. Can they push on?

IMPLICATIONS OF A HIGH FINISH FOR BLOCK

To be honest, I hope he doesn't know all of this... will be very hard for him to concentrate.

TROUBLE FOR BLOCK

His opening tee shot didn't make the bunker, but it ended up in a very tricky position above a top lip. Means Block has to lay-up. Important up and down to follow!

RORY NEARLY HOLES HIS OPENING APPROACH

Rory will birdie the 1st, hits his approach to the 1st to within a foot. Block has 10 foot for par.

BIRDIE AND BOGEY

Block can't make his putt and drops to +1 - Rory is now at -2 after his birdie.

ROSE WITH KICK IN BIRDIE CHANCE

Justin Rose emulates Rory with his approach to the 1st - a couple of feet for an opening birdie for him.

CHEERS (MAINLY) FOR BRYSON

After the boos of yesterday, Bryson gets a good reception on the 1st tee. He then hits a bullet to the right-hand side of the fairway.

ROSE MAKES HIS BIRDIE

The Englishman is now -3 - just three shots back.

MCILROY STRUGGLING FOR PAR

A poor approach on the 2nd for Rory, short sided he has a 15-foot putt for par.

PEREZ ON THE CHARGE

The Frenchman birdies three in a row, and is on -2 after 4 holes. A big performance today could cement his Ryder Cup place.

SHOT DROPPED FOR MCILROY

He can't make the par putt on 2... disappointing... 

LEADERS ON THE 1ST TEE

One is wearing a white polo, one has an orange polo - no prizes for guessing who is wearing what.

REED UNDER PAR

He never gets much coverage on TV, but Patrick Reed is level with Rory at -1. Another solid Major performance from Captain America.

WHAT A RECOVERY!

Rose leaves his bunker shot on the 2nd in the rough... but then chips in for par! The kind of momentum swing that could be huge!

ANOTHER FOR PEREZ!

Four birdies in a row for Victor! He is now to -3 and the Frenchman is suddenly very in the hunt!

NO BIRDIES FOR THE LEADERS

Koepka makes a regulation par, while Hovland does really well to match his playing partner, with a good up and down following some tree trouble.

BRILLIANT APPROACH FROM KOEPKA 

Leader Koepka has 6 feet for a birdie on the 2nd, following a fabulous iron. But then Hovland gets inside of him with his. Hopefully this is the sign of things to come between the two!

HOVLAND MISSES, KOEPKA HOLES

Daylight at the top of the leaderboard as Koepka moves to -7 and Hovland fails to hole his chance.

KOEPKA LEADS BY 3

Another birdie on the 3rd for Koepka... it is his to lose now!

RORY GOING BACKWARDS

After his brilliant opening birdie, Rory McIlroy has now bogeyed two of the next three. Back to evens.

PEREZ IN TROUBLE ON 7

The Frenchman has lit up the final round, but will drop at least one shot on the 7th.

KOEPKA LOOKS VERY RELAXED

These early birdies really seem to have settled Koepka down, he has another makable putt on 4. He has tougher holes to come, but is giving himself a great chance.

KOEPKA ON FIRE

Three in a row - this is superb from the leader. Has taken the opportunities the course has given him. -9 and four clear... but Hovland quickly changes that back to three with a birdie of his own.

CAN HE GET TO 5 MAJOR WINS?

If Brooks Koepka does win today, he will win his 5th Major and join a group that includes Seve Ballesteros (Pictured), Peter Thomson, Byron Nelson, JH Taylor and James Braid. He will also have one more than Rory McIlroy.

HANG ON A MOMENT!

A four shot lead has now become two! Hovland birdies 5 while Koepka just makes a par.

BIRDIES DROPPING

DeChambeau and Rose both move to -4 with a couple of holed putts. They are just about still in the hunt. While Cam Smith is now 6 under for his round and at 2 under with a couple of holes left in his round. Sepp Straka also now at -2 - so a charge could still come.

KOEPKA IN TROUBLE ON 6

The hardest hole on the course may have claimed its most significant victim. He is in the hazard and will have a penalty drop. Things are suddenly getting very interesting!

HOVLAND MISSES A CHANCE 

Viktor's approach finds the greenside bunker.. will have a tricky up and down to come. Here comes Brooks...

KOEPKA FINDS THE GREEN FROM THE ROUGH

A two-putt would mean he just bogeys a hole that he could have done much worse on.

STRAKA SHOWING HIS CLASS

Sepp Straka has managed to sneak another birdie, now -3!

LEAD DOWN TO ONE!

Koepka does two putt for bogey, and that follows an excellent 12-footer for par from Hovland.

BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE

Scottie Scheffler has a woeful day on Saturday, but is doing much better today. He is at 4 under par after a birdie on 8. In 3rd place on his own at the moment.

WHO WILL WIN?

Koepka or Hovland... well they are both struggling on 7... the field is coming back to them!

AND IT'S BACK TO ANDREW!

The last three hours have flown by, really looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds. And from my office in Essex we move back up to Troon in Scotland, for Andrew Wright to take you through all the remaining drama.

Bringing it home

Nice one, Tom. Right, this has become a lot more interesting in the last 30 minutes. It looked like Koepka was going to sprint off into the distance but he's now just one ahead of Hovland and three clear of the rest of the pack.

DeChambeau has just joined Scheffler at -4 and McIlroy has stuck it in close at the 10th to get to -2. 

Hatton in the house

The Englishman taps in for par at 18 and a closing 67 to finish +1 overall. He'll be ruing that opening 77 that left him with too much to do to get back into contention. 

At the 10th McIlroy converts his birdie putt to get withing five of Koepka. He'll need a few more and a bit more help from the final group but you never know...

Fore left!

Koepka is looking a little shaky here. Hovland is on the tee first at the 9th and stripes it down the middle, before Koepka drags it well left. He'll do well to save par from there.

Working the crowd

What a guy Michael Block is. He's +2 for the day and for the tournament with seven holes to play. 

Scheffler birdie

The World No. 2 bounces back from a bogey on the 9th with a birdie on the 10th. He's back to -4 and three behind Koepka.

Bogey for Rose - long way back

Ah Rosey. It was all going so well with two birdies in his first six holes but he's now given both of those shots back. He's -2 with eight holes to go and all but out of contention.

Straka matches round of the day

Straka closes with a disappointing bogey but what a final round by the Austrian. He made eight birdies in total to finish -2 and match Cam Smith's earlier 65 as the best round of the day.

Hard to imagine he won't be on the plane heading to Rome come September.

The back nine on Sunday is here 

The leaders have made the turn as they were, with Koepka (-7) one clear of Hovland (-6). It's far too early to call this a two-horse race, though.

Scheffler is lurking at -4 and looks a different player from yesterday. He could very well have a say in the outcome. As could DeChambeau at -3 and even McIlroy at -2 isn't out of it. 

We could be in for a cracking couple of hours!

Koepka moves two clear

Hovland is up first for birdie at 10 and knocks it 5ft by. Koepka has a great chance from about 10ft to go at least two clear. He slots it. Over to you, Viktor...

He makes the par putt to limit the damage. Onto the monster par-3 11th.

Fried egg

Koepka opens the door for Hovland and the Norwegian walks through. The leader pulls his tee shot into the front-left trap and his ball plugs up against the lip. Hovland safely finds the green and will have around 18ft for birdie.

McIlroy to -3

He's been far from his best but McIlroy is still hanging around. He sneaks in a birdie putt at the 13th to get to -3 and has the driveable par-4 14th up next. 

Koepka lips out for par

Koepka hits a great bunker shot to give himself a look for par from 12ft but he can't convert. Hovland missed his birdie putt so the lead is cut to one.

Why is McIlroy still trying to hit a cut?

The sight of the Northern Irishman aiming 20 yards or more left with driver in hand is frustrating, to put it politely. He does it again on the 14th and again hits it horribly into the front trap.

It's sad to see one of the most prodigious drawers of the ball, especially with a driver, reduced to this.

Conners and DeChambeau's challenge ends

Conners looked infallible until that bunker mishap late yesterday. He's now fallen back to -2 with a bogey at the 12th. 

Alongside the Canadian, DeChambeau makes it two bogeys in three holes, also to drop to -2. Both are out of it.

Scheffler is right in this

Scheffler hits a beauty of a wedge shot into the par-5 13th and makes the birdie putt to get to -5. He's right in this.

Turning point?

It's the classic match play situation in the final group. Koepka slots his left-to-right curler for birdie on the 12th to get to -8, making Hovland's all the more difficult.

The Norwegian's putt slides by the left edge and the gap is two once again.

McIlroy misses birdie putt

McIlroy leaves himself about 10ft for birdie on 14 but misses what was a must-make putt. He then steps up on the par-3 15th and short-sides himself, giving himself a horrible second shot. His race is officially run.

SLAM DUNK HOLE-IN-ONE FOR BLOCK!!

My days! Michael Block's magical week just somehow got even better. He steps up on 15 and slam dunks it for an incredible hole-in-one. Pick it out, son. 

Unbelievable scenes! Watch below...

Scheffler hits the pin

From the front-right trap on 14, Scheffler hits the pin at a rate of knots, leaving him about 4ft for a birdie to get to -6. Drama all over the course right now.

He converts to get within two of Koepka.

Koepka struggling for par

With a wedge in hand, Koepka comes up well short of the 13th green. He opts to putt from distance and blasts it 8ft by. Hovland has a chance for birdie and to put the squeeze on his playing partner.

Huge moments coming up.

Hovland and Koepka both convert

Hovland is up first and guides it home for birdie to get to -7. To Koepka's immense credit, he follows him in for par and to maintain a one-shot lead at the top.

What a final five holes we have coming up.

Scheffler skirts danger

Scheffler can count himself a little fortunate on the par-3 15th as his tee shot somehow hangs onto the right fringe, with a horrible up-and-down awaiting should it drift another yard right.

He makes the two-putt to stay in touch. 

Advantage Koepka on 14

These two continue to trade blows. Hovland is up first on the driveable par-4 and comes up short and in the rough. Koepka then rifles a drive that ends up on the fringe, leaving him a putt from about 20ft for eagle.

Koepka and Hovland both make birdie

Hovland hits a great pitch to about 8ft and rolls the birdie putt in to briefly grab a share of the lead. Koepka responds by making his three-footer to stay one clear.

Over to you, Scottie...

Safely aboard the 15th for the final group

There's no future right of 15 so it's no surprise to see the final group well left of the flag. Koepka will be up first from a few feet further away and will give Hovland a read, which could be pivotal.

Pars for final group

Koepka and Hovland both tickle their lengthy birdie putts down to tap-in range, so it's as you were heading to 16.

Up ahead, Scheffler misses his birdie putt to get to -7 and needs a huge finish and some help from the final group to win his second Major.

#Wholesome

Check out the reaction to Michael Block's hole-in-one at his home club, Arroyo Trabucho. Simply lovely!

Hovland in bunker on 16

Hovland still has the honour but hands the advantage to his playing partner by finding the fairway bunker. 

Huge final hole for Block

The top 15 and ties earn invites into next year's PGA Championship, which is exactly the position Block finds himself in heading to the 18th tee. A par should be enough to cap off what has been the week of his life.

Drama on 16

Can you believe it? Hovland has done what Conners did yesterday and plugged his ball into the lip of the fairway bunker on 16. It could be the Norwegian's race run and the anguish is written all over his face.

He's getting a ruling just now, so we could be waiting a while.

On 18, Block has launched his second well left into the gallery. It'll be a hell of an up-and-down from there.

Koepka puts the hammer down

Hovland eventually takes his drop and can only pitch the ball back into play. Sensing his opportunity to all but wrap up the title, Koepka sends his second from the rough into about 4ft. 

Take a bow, Michael Block

Simply incredible. From a horror position, Block lobs a pitch up from amidst the gallery, landing it on a dime for it to trickle down to around 8ft. With everyone wishing the putt in, he obliges and caps off a remarkable week that should see him into next year's tournament. 

He receives a well-earned standing ovation and a hug from McIlroy, who taps in to finish -2 after a third consecutive 69.

Hovland doubles 16

And just like that, Koepka leads by four. Hovland can't convert from 15ft for bogey and drops to -6 after working so hard all round to stay in the hunt. 

Koepka, the predator he is, makes Hovland pay and slots his four-footer for birdie to get to -10 and four clear.

Koepka in trouble on 17

It's quite nice to see one of the best players in the world hit a shot like this. Koepka slices the back legs off his tee shot on 17 and is forced to pitch out sideways back onto the fairway. Hovland's barely finds the rough but he'll have a clear look at the green.

Scheffler finishes in style

A birdie at the last for Scheffler gets him to -7 and caps off a brilliant closing 65. He'll rue that third-round 73 that gave him just a little too much to do today.

Koepka bogeys

The leader can't make par but limits the damage to a bogey, which cuts his lead to two after Scheffler's birdie. Hovland makes a great up-and-down for par to stay -6.

Amazing moment

You couldn't have written this script for Michael Block. This was a lovely moment after the round between him and McIlroy.

You couldn't have written this script for Michael Block. This was a lovely moment after the round bethim and McIlroy.

Koepka finds the fairway - it's in his hands

The final group are on the 18th fairway. All Koepka needs is a bogey to win the Wanamaker Trophy for the third time, joining Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only other players to have achieved that feat.

It's over

Brooks is back! He rifles his 9-iron into about 8ft to all but end it, and what a way to do it. Hovland also hits a good shot and will have around 15ft to join Scheffler in a tie for second.

Dare I say, Koepka looks a little emotional climbing the hill to the final green.

Brooks Koepka is the 2023 PGA Champion

Koepka rolls his birdie putt holeside and taps in to win his third PGA Championship and fifth Major. He went out with the solo lead and brilliantly held it all day, seeing off the challenges of Scheffler and Hovland, who rolled in his birdie putt to finish in a tie for second.

Brooks is back! What a PGA Championship that was.

Goodnight, folks

Thanks, as ever, for following along with what was a great championship. Brooks Koepka is a worthy winner and rightly propels himself back among the elite of men's golf.

Until next time, goodbye!

He might be 10 shots off the lead at the halfway mark of the PGA Championship, but that hasn't stopped Phil Mickelson reaching another incredible golfing milestone in his Hall of Fame career.

The left-hander admitted he "played terrible" over the first two days at Oak Hill Country Club but still did enough to scrape through the cut on the number (+5) and in doing so, created another slice of history.

Already a six-time winner and the oldest player to land one of golf's marquee events, the 52-year-old has now made 100 cuts at Major championships, amazingly from just 119 starts. That places him third on the all-time list behind Jack Nicklaus (131) and Gary Player (102), while Tiger Woods has made the weekend 77 times in Majors from 91 starts.

In addition to that feat, Mickelson also tied the record for the most cuts made in PGA Championship history, joining Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd on 27. It's another reminder of Mickelson's unbelievable longevity, work ethic and self-belief to continue to mix it with the best of the best across several generations.

For reference, Mickelson first made the cut in a Major at the 1990 US Open as an amateur, before Scottier Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners - the three men who lead the PGA Championship after 36 holes - were even born.

Mickelson can, however, count himself fortunate to still be around for the weekend in Rochester, New York, after he narrowly avoided a penalty for a bad drop on Friday thanks to an alert rules official. "He came and saved me a stroke, so I was very appreciative," Mickelson said after the round.

As for the final 36 holes, despite being 10 back, the 52-year-old is looking forward. 

"The first two days I've played terrible" he added. "I've driven it poorly. I've not felt good with the putter. I haven't chipped great. My irons have been average. It makes me optimistic that I still made the cut playing as poorly as I did, and I think if I can get it turned around, I can make a run."

Viktor Hovland came under some friendly fire on social media once again during a Major championship for his bold J Lindeberg outfits.

The Norwegian star is signed with the Swedish fashion brand and admitted that the outfits he wears during golf's biggest events are not chosen by him - as he usually goes for more basic colors.

When asked about his day one outfit at Oak Hill in the 2023 PGA Championship and the colorful nature of it, he confirmed he usually goes for more subtle styling.

No," he said, "I wear a lot of gray, black, and that's about it."

So, why is he rarely seen wearing gray and black in Majors? Well, of course, because he is a paid brand ambassador for J Lindeberg.

"Well, J. Lindeberg, they give me this stuff and pay me money to do so, so I just show up and wear what they want me to wear," he admitted.

The 2021 Ryder Cup Team Europe star is set to garner more attention throughout the weekend as his scripting for the coming days is perhaps even brighter.

The theme of orange, which could be a nod to his time at Oklahoma State University, is set to continue:

Hovland was questioned on social media for his day one jacket and then again for his bright shirt as the weather started to warm up.

Some even likened his shirt to a Sex on the Beach cocktail...

As well as his bright J Lindeberg apparel, the two-time PGA Tour winner was spotted wearing Puma shoes for the first time in his professional career.

Since joining the paid ranks in 2019, the Norwegian star has worn Nike Roshe shoes - up until this week. He was spotted wearing the Puma Ignite Articulate shoes on Thursday at Oak Hill Country Club. He has not signed with the brand and is wearing them on his own accord, Golf Monthly understands.