The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 BMW Championship
Michael Reaves
Early on it looked like a battle between last year’s Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler and U.S. Open winner, Matt Fitzpatrick, but then Viktor Hovland popped into the mix and wouldn’t go away. Hovland birdied four of the last five holes, including the final two for a course record 61 and, more importantly, the BMW Championship title.
Hovland shot a final-nine 28, including a clutch 9-iron at 17 from 154 yards to nine feet and then another from 159 yards at the last to six feet. But it was his work off the tee that set things up for Hovland. The Norwegian star ranked first in driving accuracy, hitting 43 of 56 fairways (76.8 percent) and second in strokes gained/off the tee, gaining more than four shots on the field.
WHAT IT DOES: The engineers at Ping like to say, “We don’t really drop things that tend to be working.” The G430 line continues to employ a heavy dose of forgiveness, stability and the aerodynamic efficiencies of turbulator ridges on the crown. But the G430 lineup further amplifies an ultra-forgiving design by introducing an improved variable-thickness face pattern and structural support for more energy transfer at impact.
WHY WE LIKE IT: Ping gets ample credit for the big things, like its clubhead stability, but it does the little things well, too. The G430’s face curvature, with less loft on the lower portion of the face, reduces spin so that weaker shots fly more efficiently. Read more>>>
His driver is a 9-degree Ping G425 LST with a Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX shaft that measures 45.75 inches.
Putting is sometimes an iffy proposition for Hovland, but he excelled this week, ranking fifth 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.
The iron play was strong as well, as he finished T-3 in greens in regulation and fourth in strokes gained/approach the green with his Ping i210 irons with KBS Tour-V 120X shafts and Golf Pride MCC grips with one extra wrap of tape underneath.
And one more PGA Tour title to his credit.
The clubs Viktor Hovland used to win the 2023 BMW Championship
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G425 LST (Fujikura Speeder TR 661-TX), 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 15 degrees
Irons (3): Titleist U505; (4-PW): Ping i210
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 56 degrees); Ping Glide 2.0 (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD DS72 prototype
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