Denny McCarthy headed to the 72nd hole bogey-free for the day, clutching a one-shot lead while looking for his first PGA Tour win. A bogey at the last, however, led to a playoff with Viktor Hovland, and when McCarthy bogeyed the 18th again in overtime, Hovland made a seven-footer for par (capping an impressive two-putt from 57 feet) to take the title.
Hovland’s final-round 70 included a back-nine 33 that included a 27-foot birdie putt on 17 and then a sporty par save at the last that included a nervy five-footer for par. Impressive stuff for a player known for not always being sharp with his short game or putting. In fact, Hovland noted after the third round that he was “just a little disappointed with some of the short-game shots that I hit today”.
Hovland was solid in most facets of his game, including ranking T-15 in driving distance at 290.1 metres (317.3 yards) with his 9-degree Ping G425 LST driver with a Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX shaft that measures 45.75 inches.
But it was his putting where Hovland excelled, ranking third in strokes gained/putting, gaining more than six shots on the field. Hovland’s putter is a Ping PLD DS72 prototype that has a stepless 36-inch shaft and 2.5 degrees of loft.
A clutch putter always works well, as Hovland discovered once again at Muirfield Village Golf Club for his fourth victory on the PGA Tour.
The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 Memorial Tournament:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G425 LST (Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX), 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 15 degrees
7-wood: Ping G430 Max, 20.5 degrees
Irons (4-PW): Ping i210
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 56 degrees); Ping Glide 2.0 (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD DS72 prototype
