Matthew Coritz

The BMW Championship had all the makings of a classic Scottie Scheffler win. Olympia Fields is a ballstriker’s paradise and there’s nobody who flushes the ball like Scheffler does. After 3 days he was on top of the leaderboard, and while he seemed a class above the whole week, there were still some big names up there with him like Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory Mcilroy, Max Homa, and even lingering 4 back at -8 was Viktor Hovland. It would take something special to catch him on Sunday. Viktor Hovland stepped up to the plate and delivered. Seemingly shot out of a cannon on the final nine holes, he shot a course-record 9 under 61 to snatch the tournament away from Scheffler and those trailing. He had 8 3’s on the back 9! Incredible stuff on his way to a back nine 28 after making the turn at only 2 under on the day. Touting the best smile in golf along the way, Viktor just absolutely diced up the back 9 holes. He hit 7 of his final 9 approach shots within 15 feet gaining an astonishing 6.48 strokes on the field along the way. With the win, Hovland moved up to second in the FedEx Cup Standings behind only Scheffler so they will start next week at the top of the leaderboard for the Tour Championship’s staggered start format. 

Olympia Fields was a very solid venue and while it could’ve played a little tougher, I thought it was a good fit for a playoff venue. It was Distinct from the majors, yet more demanding than the week-to-week PGA Tour venues. Also, add in the fact that the tournament was in the Chicago market which added some juice to the tournament. I saw an idea floated around that the three playoff weeks should run through the massive markets of New York at a course like Liberty National, then to Chicago with Olympia Fields, and then the Tour Championship of course being in Atlanta at East Lake. That would add some year-to-year consistency and a sense of meaning to a product that really needs some. 

What once looked like a possible American dynasty setting up after the rout at Whistling Straits 2 years ago now looks like a much more formidable matchup between Team USA and Team Europe at next month’s Ryder Cup. Team Europe is officially trending. Mcilroy, Rahm, and Hovland are absolute stalwarts at the top, and Fleetwood, Hatton, and Fitzpatrick have looked very solid all year. The United States team is in a bit of flux with a few prospective players not at their usual level like Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, and Cameron Young. Also, the team will be mixing in guys who weren’t really on the radar before their major triumphs in Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman. Regarding the tour split, Brooks Koepka is likely to be the sole LIV guy for either team, and considering how little he spoke out against the PGA tour after leaving there shouldn’t be any drama on that front. Rome should be fun.

Now over to Denver to cover one of my favorite weeks of the year in golf with the U.S. Amateur. Nick Dunlap has been the best amateur all summer having won the North and South Amateur as well as the Northeast Amateur. He’s looked at as arguably the top PGA Tour prospect in college right now alongside Gordon Sargent. After his first 7 holes of the week, he was 5-over par. Hardly the transcendent play he’s displayed all summer after an All-American freshman year at Alabama. That’s when his caddy, Jeff Curl, wrote a note on the 8th hole of Dunlap’s yardage book. “This can be an amazing story if you let go and LET IT HAPPEN!” It shook Dunlap right out of his funk and he never looked back. He got into the Match Play portion of the tournament as the 41st seed. He then promptly ousted the Number 1 Amateur in the World Gordon Sargent in the Round of 64. He steadily made his way through the rest of his matches before dispatching Ohio State senior Neal Shipley 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final. After being tied through 18, Dunlap pulled away on the second 18 to win handily. With the win, he joined Tiger Woods as the only players to have won both the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Amateur. Of course, Tiger won both tournaments 3 times, but it’s still a huge step in Dunlap’s journey. Special shoutout to my friend Paul Chang on an incredible run to the round of 16 taking down Walker Cupper Caleb Surratt along the way. After 2 years of grinding on the Club Team at UVA, working with Coach Rob Failes, and many hours at the Birdwood Member’s short game area, he finally got a well-deserved spot on the varsity squad after the staff caught wind of his play this summer. There was one champion, but there were many winners at this year’s United States Amateur Championship.

See you next week for the Tour Championship.