Hovland surges to 1-shot lead with cast of challengers lined up behind him

Viktor Hovland finally got a little separation Saturday at the Tour Championship, and all he had to do was finish with six consecutive putts of 7 feet or longer for a 5-under 65. All that got him was a one-shot lead in a season finale very much up for grabs.

Four of those putts were for birdie, two of them for par, all of them important going into a final round at East Lake where every shot can seem so important.

Scoring has felt low. With some of the pins, it hasn’t felt easy. Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg each referenced similarities to Aronimink for the PGA Championship, where 28 players were separated by two shots midway through the third round.

Only 29 players are at East Lake and everyone is under par. Hovland rolled in a pair of 8-foot birdie putts at the end to put him at 15-under 195, one shot ahead of Tour Championship newcomer Ryan Gerard, who played bogey-free for a 66.

Scottie Scheffler (66) and Chris Gotterup (67), who have combined for five PGA Tour titles this year, were three shots behind at 12-under 198. They were joined by sentimental favorite, 46-year-old Adam Scott, and Aberg. Both shot 65 in search of their first win this year.

Also in the mix was Rory McIlroy, who had two bogeys, settled for par on the par-5 closing hole and still shot 63 to get within five shots. He was joined by Cameron Young, whose double bogey on the 10th hole set him back in a round of 68. “It’s pretty bunched up around 11- and 12-under par there,” Hovland said. “I mean, you’ve seen some 62s out there. You can take it low. So it was nice to get a little bit of distance, especially from the group of guys that are around that number. They’re capable of shooting nothing tomorrow. So that gives me a little bit of a cushion for tomorrow. I’m still going to have to bring a nice, solid round.” At stake Sunday is $10 million to the winner, the largest official payoff in golf for a single tournament, and the FedEx Cup title that comes with a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Hovland won the FedEx Cup in 2023 when he steamrolled through a three-tournament postseason and won the last two. This might not feel the same if he were to win on Sunday, though the Norwegian would happily leave town with two trophies. Hovland was at his best on the greens coming down the stretch - 11 feet for birdie on the 13th, 18 feet to save par on the 14th, 11 feet for birdie on the peninsula-green 15th, a 7-foot par putt on the 16th and his closing birdies. Gerard scrambled beautifully, especially on the back nine, birdied both par 5s and stayed in the game for a chance at his first win this year, and possibly an easy decision to be a pick for the Presidents Cup. But it was a big test of patience waiting to a chance to attack.

“Then when you do get that, try to take advantage and step on the gas there a little bit,” he said.

That’s what McIlroy did, starting out seven shots behind with little to lose. He figured he would need another round like 63 to even contemplate a fourth FedEx Cup title. He has been around for all the iterations of resetting points and starting strokes into the season finale. What he can’t recall is a traffic jam at the top, or last place being at 3-under par.

“It speaks to the standard of the golfers that are here,” McIlroy said. “But it also speaks to the slightly different test that we are getting after the redesign, as well.”

Scheffler also played bogey-free and rued not taking advantage of a few more birdie chances in the 8- to 12-foot range. But he’s right in the mix as he closes out a season of astonishing consistency that leaves him on the cusp of replacing Tiger Woods on the career money list.

In the middle of the congestion was Scott, who has a chance to win for the first time since 2020. “It’s a good spot — within striking distance,” Scott said. “It’s so congested, though, it’s going to need a really great round. I think there’s someone lurking who’s going to have that.”