Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg won the Omega European Masters in just his ninth event as a professional to make a hugely compelling case for a Ryder Cup wild card.

Aberg, who only joined the paid ranks in June, carded a superb closing 64 at Crans-sur-Sierre to finish 19 under par, two shots ahead of compatriot Alexander Bjork.

Overnight leader Matt Fitzpatrick, who was bidding to join Seve Ballesteros as a three-time winner of the event, bogeyed three of the last four holes to slip into a tie for third with Scotland’s Connor Syme on 16 under.

That was still enough to replace Tommy Fleetwood in the final qualifying place on the World Points list, with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre holding on to the last spot on the European Points list.

Europe captain Luke Donald will name his six wild cards on Monday and it would be a major surprise if Aberg was not selected along with Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry, with Sepp Straka, Adrian Meronk and Nicolai Hojgaard potentially battling it out for the two remaining spots.

“I don’t even know where to start, it’s a pretty surreal feeling to be honest, but obviously super, super happy,” the 23-year-old said.

“I figured a win would put me in a good position (for the Ryder Cup) but honestly I’ve been doing a pretty good job of not thinking about it too much.

“I feel like I get reminded of it a lot, but once I get on the golf course it’s just me and golf and luckily I was able to finish well today and win the tournament.

“It would mean the world obviously. I think as a young golfer growing up in Sweden and in Europe those are the events you want to be a part of and if I ever get the chance to be a part of that I’m going to be over the moon. It would be really cool.”

Aberg began the final round two shots behind Fitzpatrick and was three adrift when the former US Open champion carded his third birdie of the day on the 13th.

Fitzpatrick also birdied the 14th, but then bogeyed three of the next four holes as Aberg compiled four birdies in a row from the 14th to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

MacIntyre had earlier finished in a tie for 55th after making a double bogey on the 18th in a closing 70, but neither Meronk or Yannik Paul were able to produce the top-three finish they needed to overhaul the left-hander.

“I am so excited,” MacIntyre said. “It’s been a tough qualifying campaign, but I am pleased with the way I have dealt with the challenge and to have earned one of the six automatic spots.

“I’ve worked hard to play in the Ryder Cup, but now it’s important that we go on and win it.”

MacIntyre, who played alongside Donald in the Czech Masters and was paired with Meronk and Paul for the first two rounds in Switzerland, added: “The last two weeks have been hell.

“Pairings in the first two rounds, media hype – everything has just been tough.”

As the Honorary Consul of Jamaica in Uruguay, Jorge Andres Elissalde felt it only fitting that he made the trip down to the Caribbean Island to not only enjoy the sun, fun and excitement, but also to play his part in assisting Sandals Foundation to give back to its community.

Elissalde was among the over 70 individuals that made the trek from various countries to strut their stuff in the Sandals Latin American Travel Agents Golf Tournament, which is used a driver for participants to experience and, later sell Jamaica as the destination of choice for sports and tourism.

As fate would have it, Elissalde's team which included Jorge Barbut, Jose Cabrera and Leonardo Curutchague, finished tops at the four-man scramble format, two-day event with a final score of 60 over nine holes. They scored 33 on the first and 27 on the final day of the competition.

They won ahead of the Brazilian team of Breno Luz, Ricardo Dantas, Denilson Milan, and Raphael Abreu, which scored 28 on the first day and 37 on the final day to finish five-strokes behind on 65 at the Sandals Golf and Country Club.

"I am very proud to be the Honorary Consul of Jamaica and I am happy that we had the chance to come here and not only participate in the Sandals tournament, but also to see what the foundation is doing because we know they do a lot of good for the people here, especially in the Ocho Rios region. So, it's always a pleasure to play our part and we also won which is double the excitement," Elissalde told SportsMax.tv. 

Besides the friendly competition between others from Mexico, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, among others, Elissalde reiterated the serious side of the golf tournament, as the side shows raised US $316 for the Sandals Foundation which might seem a small figure but will go a far way in helping those in need.

Mauricio Fuerte (Closet to the Pin Men), Antonio Perez Verdia Rubio (Longest Drive Men), and Taryn Stanton (Longest Drive Women), won those side events.

Beyond that, the travel agents also brought with them books and other school supplies to be distributed in the community.

"Jamaica is a destination that not many Uruguayans know, it is a beautiful country with beautiful people and so doing this (tournament) is one way of basically opening the doors so those Uruguayans can experience Jamaica through us and then they will be more eager to come and visit," Elissalde reasoned.

"So what Sandals is doing is very good, it's a mix of sports and tourism and, more importantly, the fact that they use these golf tournaments to raise funds for the foundation is incredible and giving back is always something that many people gravitate towards. So again, we are very happy to play our part," he added.

During his visit, Elissalde also paid a courtesy call on Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, Jake Coldiron, national manager of golf sales, expressed delight with the outcome of the tournament which is one of three travel-advisers’ event staged annually by the resort to promote the island as a golfing destination, while giving the resort chain’s sales reps personal experiences of its properties and Jamaica’s varied attractions.

The positive spinoff from the event has propelled Sandals to stage a World Travel Advisors Golf Tournament set for Emerald Bay, Bahamas, next year. Elissalde and his team are expected to be a part of that, along with those from the United States and Canada tournaments to come in September and October respectively. 

"My job is to help the travel advisors grow their business through golf and this year we actually had quite a few travel advisors that had never been to Jamaica, so the ultimate goal for them is to go back to their home country and sell Jamaica, sell Sandals and Beaches Resorts, and bring their clients down here," Coldiron said.

“The Sandals Foundation in general is also a very important part of Sandals Resorts and what is nice about it is that we as a company take it very seriously as far as ensuring that we give back not just in Jamaica but the entire Caribbean. We are a Caribbean-based company, and the ultimate goal is to take care of the Caribbean,” he noted.

Justin Thomas has admitted he is “very, very fortunate” to be given a wild card for this year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

Thomas failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs on the PGA Tour and admitted it had been “humiliating and embarrassing” to card a second round of 81 in the US Open in June.

The two-time major winner also shot an opening 82 in the Open at Royal Liverpool and finished 15th in qualifying, behind both Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley and just one place above the in-form Lucas Glover.

However, United States captain Zach Johnson hailed Thomas as the “heart and soul” of American teams after selecting the former world number one along with Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Jordan Spieth to face Europe at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club next month.

The wild cards join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele on Johnson’s team, who will attempt to win on European soil for the first time since 1993.

“I have had a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what could happen and wanting to be on the team, wondering if I was or I wasn’t, and then I just came to the realisation that it was out of my hands and I couldn’t do anything about it,” Thomas said.

“After getting the call yesterday (Monday) from Zach I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited. It’s cool to be part of this team.

“You can want something too bad. I’m sure all of us have tried to win golf tournaments too much and have tried to force the issue, and there were potentially times this season I did.

“I’m very, very fortunate to be here and Zach has been very vocal and made it sound great that we are all equal on this team. I feel I’m just as important as everybody else and my team-mates have voiced that the same way.”

Johnson had earlier been fulsome in his praise of Thomas, who won four points from five matches on a losing side in Paris in 2018, including victory over Rory McIlroy in the opening match of the singles.

“Justin Thomas is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour in my opinion,” Johnson said.

“He has been, without question, the heart and soul of US Ryder Cup teams, our emotional leader.

“Overall (he has) a fantastic Ryder Cup record. His passion for the Ryder Cup is very evident. In my mind he is born for this and you just don’t leave JT at home.”

Johnson admitted the topic of selecting LIV Golf players such as Dustin Johnson – who went 5-0 at Whistling Straits two years ago – and Bryson DeChambeau did come up, but that Koepka had been the only one to “seize the opportunity” of playing well in the majors.

Koepka only slipped out of the automatic qualifying places in the final event, having finished second in the Masters and winning his fifth major title in the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

“A five-time major champion, he is built in my mind for the biggest of stages and there’s no bigger stage than the Ryder Cup,” Johnson said.

“It was a pretty easy pick, a very natural fit. He basically earned his way onto the team. Brooks is great in the team room.”

Johnson’s selections came a month after one of his vice-captains, former Masters champion Fred Couples, said on his own radio show that Homa, Spieth and Young would be given wild cards if they remained outside the automatic places.

Homa subsequently qualified and Spieth was duly selected but Young, who finished just 61 points behind Spieth in the standings, was left out.

“Cam, phenomenal player, a better person, he was nothing but class,” Johnson said of calling Young with the bad news.

“I know what was said (by Couples), but I think that was a while back, it was kind of in jest.”

United States captain Zach Johnson has selected Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns and Rickie Fowler as his wild cards for the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome.

Thomas failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs and admitted it had been “humiliating and embarrassing” to card a second round of 81 in the US Open in June.

The two-time major winner also shot an opening 82 in the Open at Royal Liverpool, but has still been selected by Johnson ahead of the likes of Keegan Bradley and Cameron Young.

The wild cards join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele on Johnson’s team, which will attempt to win on European soil for the first time since 1993.

“Justin Thomas is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour in my opinion,” Johnson said.

“He has been, without question, the heart and soul of US Ryder Cup teams, our emotional leader.

“Overall (he has) a fantastic Ryder Cup record. His passion for the Ryder Cup is very evident. In my mind he is born for this and you just don’t leave JT at home.”

Koepka, who is the only LIV Golf League player to make the team, slipped out of the automatic qualifying places in the final event, having finished second in the Masters and won the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

“A five-time major champion, he is built in my mind for the biggest of stages and there’s no bigger stage than the Ryder Cup,” Johnson said.

United States captain Stacy Lewis admitted experiencing some of the “hardest” days of her career after naming Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin as her wild card picks for the Solheim Cup next month.

The three picks completed the 12-strong American team who will be attempting to avoid an unprecedented third straight defeat in the biennial showpiece against Europe at Spain’s Finca Cortesin resort from September 22-24.

Lewis said: “These final days were definitely some of the hardest ones of my career, but I’m so proud to have Ally, Cheyenne and Angel on the 2023 US Solheim Cup team.

“These three women earned their spots on this team, putting themselves into contention both with their play on the course and their teamwork off the course.

“Over the last year-and-a-half, I’ve gotten to know all the US players incredibly well and I’m honoured to be their captain. We are going to have an incredible week at Finca Cortesin.”

The first nine members of the US team were confirmed earlier on Monday after the weekend’s CPKC Women’s Open in Canada.

Seven players – world number one Lilia Vu, Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Jennifer Kupcho, Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee – qualified through the US Solheim Cup points standings.

Lexi Thompson, who will be making her sixth appearance in the competition, and Rose Zhang qualified as the highest Americans in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings outside the top seven in the Solheim Cup points standings.

Lee tied for 13th at the CPKC Women’s Open, the exact finish she needed to move from eighth to seventh in the points standings and secure the final automatic qualifying berth.

She said: “I was pretty stressed coming down the stretch because I knew I had to finish top 13 to not have to rely on a captain’s pick.

“I’m just super grateful and honoured to represent the USA. It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl.

“I played on two Junior Solheim Cup teams and have always wanted to play on the real Solheim Cup team. I’m just so excited and I can’t wait to play for Stacy and for Team USA.”

Lewis added: “The last year has been exciting – and challenging – and to have these players locked in has me pumped for the week in Spain.

“Even the rookies aren’t true rookies in my eyes. Over the last two years, they have proven to be great competitors and I have no doubt that they won’t be overwhelmed by the experience.”

Europe finalised their line-up last week with Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh selected as a wild card pick to join English pair Charley Hull and Georgia Hall in captain Suzann Pettersen’s 12-strong team.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland held off a determined challenge from Xander Schauffele in the final round of the Tour Championship to claim the FedEx Cup title and 18million US dollar (£14.1million) first prize.

Hovland, who won the BMW Championship seven days ago, carded a bogey-free closing 63 at East Lake to finish 27 under par, five shots ahead of Schauffele, who returned a superb 62.

The 25-year-old began the day with a six-shot lead and, following a delay of almost two hours due to the threat of lightning, maintained that advantage as both he and Schauffele covered the first six holes in four under par.

Schauffele also birdied the eighth to be out in 30 and picked up further shots on the 11th and 12th to get within three of the lead, a lead which looked set to shrink even further when Hovland hit a poor chip to the 14th.

However, Hovland holed from 23 feet to save par and then made his first birdie since the sixth on the 16th to effectively seal a win which was quickly celebrated by Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

“I walked 3 matches with Viktor at the last Ryder Cup,” Donald wrote on Twitter.

“He was great tee to green but his short game and putting let him down. He told me he wasn’t clutch enough. Well he’s about as clutch as they come now. What a year, what a finish, what a guy! Fedex Cup Champ.”

US Open champion Wyndham Clark finished third on 16 under with Rory McIlroy, who had been hampered by a back injury all week, carding a closing 65 to finish fourth on 14 under.

“As the week went on it got looser and today it was pretty close to 100 per cent,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.

“I wish I had felt like this the rest of the week but even without a bad back I’m not sure I’d have been able to hang with the two guys in front.

“Another solid week, my game is where it needs to be and as long as I stay healthy for the next few weeks I’m excited to get back to Europe, play in Ireland and at Wentworth and ultimately get my game in shape for the Ryder Cup.”

The United States will be bidding to retain the Ryder Cup after enjoying a record 19-9 victory two years ago and McIlroy told reporters: “There’s a lot of us that were in that team at Whistling Straits and that didn’t feel very nice, didn’t feel good.

“So, yeah, I’m excited to get back over to Europe. We’re all sort of making our way over to Europe a couple weeks early. So it will be nice to all get together, get some early team dinners before the week in Rome and sort of really feel like that sort of team chemistry is starting already.

“We’re all, for the most part, playing really good. There’s still a few weeks to go, but it’s the next big thing in all of our calendars.”

Norwegian Viktor Hovland is closing in on his first FedEx Cup title as he surged to a six-stroke lead in Atlanta on Saturday.

Hovland started the Tour Championship tournament on eight under par on the handicap system as the number two seed due to his good form over the year, and pushed away from American Xander Schauffele who sits in second place.

He said the tournament has felt like more of a sprint then a marathon but “it’s hard to win the FedEx Cup if you haven’t played well the last few weeks”.

“It’s just a great list of names that’s won the tournament… and it would be awesome to have my name on there.

“Like, putting it all together, I don’t think I’ve ever played this well before, with this stretch, just putting all the short game and stuff together.”

The 25-year-old hit a four under par 66 to finish the day on 20 under, landing five birdies and one bogey to get closer to the 18 million dollar prize that comes with the trophy.

Rory McIlroy won the title last year and holds the most FedEx Cup wins with three, but sits tied for eighth on nine under par.

Norwegian Viktor Hovland is closing in on his first FedEx Cup title as he pushed out to a six-stroke lead in Atlanta on Saturday.

Hovland started the Tour Championship tournament with eight under par as the number two seed due to his good form over the year, and pushed away from American Xander Schauffele who sits in second place.

He said the tournament has felt like more of a sprint then a marathon but “it’s hard to win the FedEx Cup if you haven’t played well the last few weeks”.

“It’s just a great list of names that’s won the tournament… and it would be awesome to have my name on there.

“Like, putting it all together, I don’t think I’ve ever played this well before, with this stretch, just putting all the short game and stuff together.”

The 25-year-old hit a 66 four under par to finish the day with 20 under, landing five birdies and one bogey to get closer to the 18 million dollar bonus that comes with the trophy.

Rory McIlroy won the title last year and holds the most FedEx Cup wins with three, but sits tied for eighth spot with nine under par.

By all indications, the Sandals Latin American Travel Agents Golf Tournament is not all about fun and games.

There is a serious side to the annual tournament.

Apart from serving as a common unifying force where Latin American-based travel agents meet to get their swing on and view close-up the exquisite Sandals Resorts International properties, the tournament also boasts a charitable side.

Financial proceeds raised, especially from a side-show putting contest, will go to the Sandals Foundation, which nourishes a robust junior golf programme that spawned the likes of Jamaican pro Wesley Brown.

Beyond that, Arlenes Garcia, director of sales and marketing for Latin America, pointed out that promoting the island as a major sports tourism attraction is of vital importance and the annual golf tournament presents the opportunity for travel agents to do so.

This year's ninth staging of the LatAm tournament attracted 98 agents from countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Mexico, who graced the Sandals Golf and Country Club in Upton, St Ann.

“The Caribbean and Jamaica is our home and so we are always pleased to be here spending time with our travel advisors and, more importantly, showing them the product. Being here is the opportunity to actually see the resorts and experience the Sandals product because seeing is believing,” Garcia said.

“So, when the travel advisors go back home, this is what they are going to talk about. Also, to be here playing golf on this fantastic golf course is the opportunity for them to actually grow that niche, as they make the most of the opportunities to bring tourism to this beautiful island,” she added.

While the putting contest – which sees the travel advisors contributing a small fee to participate –created some excitement of its own, there was also fireworks in the major four-member scramble tournament, as the two-day event picked up momentum on Saturday’s final day.

The team of Breno Luz, Ricardo Dantas, Denilson Milan, Raphael Abreu, were front runners from the start, while the trio of Artur Costa, Ricardo Silva, Marco Oliveira, and the quartet of Jorge Bardot, Jose Cabrera, Leonardo Curutchague and Andres Elissalde, also proved competitive.

Still, Garcia reiterated that camaraderie witnessed during golf, is just a small taste of how they work together to achieve a common goal.

“Year over year we see the increase of the tourism from the (Latin American) region into the Caribbean, especially Jamaica. We are one team promoting the life at Sandals beautiful resorts, this fantastic golf course and everything that we do day-by-day and so for me, Sandals has provided a career and the opportunity to grow,” she ended.

Rory McIlroy is three strokes behind the leaders at the Tour Championship after he said he suffered muscle spasms going into the tournament as he tries to win his fourth FedEx Cup title.

McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the FedEx Cup after overturning a six-shot deficit in the final round of the same tournament last year.

He said he is “over the moon” to be placed where he is considering the spasms.

“I was at the bottom of a squat, a body-weight squat, and my whole lower back spasmed, seized up. I couldn’t move. I honestly couldn’t address the ball this time yesterday,” McIlroy said.

“So, yeah, I mean, I hung in there and I just felt like if I could get through today, it’s better than it was yesterday, hopefully tomorrow’s better than it was today, and just sort of try to keep progressing.”

McIlroy is sitting on seven under par in tied seventh after he finished the day with the same score as he started with, hitting four birdies and just as many bogeys.

“So I was always going to tee off. It was just a matter of how I felt on the course,” McIlroy said.

“And it got progressively a little tighter as I went, but it will hopefully get loosened up here and just another 20, or 18 hours of recovery and go again.”

There is a three-way tie for the lead between Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland on 10 under par.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick is even with McIlroy in seventh spot while Tyrell Hatton is one stroke behind the pair.

Rory McIlroy can focus fully on claiming a record fourth FedEx Cup title and 18million US dollar (£14.1million) first prize after revealing he is less “emotionally invested” in off-course affairs.

McIlroy was one of the most prominent supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf and spent part of the build-up to last year’s Tour Championship getting changes to the Tour’s schedule ratified in response to the threat posed by the Saudi-funded breakaway.

However, with the PGA Tour announcing in June plans for a shock deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV, McIlroy has been able to take more of a back seat, especially with Tiger Woods recently joining the PGA Tour’s policy board.

“I think last year, I was probably energised by everything that was going on in the world of golf. I felt like we were maybe in a bit more of a state of flux,” McIlroy said in his pre-event press conference in Atlanta.

“I sat up here at this table this day last year talking about designated events and getting all the best players to play together and all that stuff.

“I remember this time last year being on a board call at 7.30 in the morning on the Tuesday trying to get all that stuff ratified and get it passed through the board.

“I’ve been able to focus a little bit more just on golf and my game and even able to take two days at home between Chicago and here, getting to spend some time with the girls. That’s been really nice.

“(I’m) maybe less emotionally involved. Last year it was to do with how can we make the product of the PGA TOUR better and I think I was really invested in that.

“So when it comes to, like, governance and investment and all that, it’s not that I don’t care about it, but it doesn’t excite me as much as making the product better and how can we make this the most competitive landscape to play professional golf and how can we get all the best players to play together.

“I’m on the board and I have to be involved and whenever something’s brought to the table I’ll vote on it yes or no. But, yeah, maybe just not as emotionally engaged on all of this other stuff.”

McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the FedEx Cup after overturning a six-shot deficit in the final round of the Tour Championship last year.

The 34-year-old had also started the week six shots behind world number one Scottie Scheffler under the handicap scoring system and instantly fell further behind by making a triple bogey on the first hole.

As the player with the most FedEx Cup points from the regular season, Scheffler again starts the Tour Championship on 10 under par, with Viktor Hovland eight under, McIlroy on seven under and Masters champion Jon Rahm six under.

While McIlroy is in favour of the controversial scoring system first adopted in 2019, Scheffler is not a fan of the format, even though it gives him an advantage.

“This tournament is a little bit weird because there’s starting strokes and I wouldn’t say that it is the best format to identify the best golfer for the year,” Scheffler said.

“Jon Rahm played some of the best golf of anybody this year and he’s coming into this tournament fourth and he’s four shots back. And, in theory, he could have won 20 times this year and he would only have a two-shot lead.

“I feel like I’ve joked a decent amount about being (world) number one meaning you don’t get any extra strokes and you show up this week and I do get some extra strokes. So it’s a bit strange, but it should be a fun week.”

Asked what he learned about losing his six-shot lead in the space of seven holes in last year’s final round, Scheffler said: “I don’t know if impatient is the right word, but I just didn’t get off to a good start and after that, I played really well.

“I remember walking down number eight and kind of just having a talk with myself about, you know, this is why you practice, this is why you prepare, just kind of give yourself a little pump-up speech, and then after that I snapped right back in.”

Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald admits thinking about selecting his six wild cards is starting to give him sleepless nights.

Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm have already secured places in Donald’s side via the European Points list, with Viktor Hovland qualifying on the World Points list.

Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood currently occupy the other two spots on the World Points list, with Robert MacIntyre holding the third and final place on the European Points list with two qualifying events remaining.

MacIntyre and Alexander Bjork will partner Donald in the first two rounds of this week’s Czech Masters, with three of Donald’s vice-captains tasked with assessing the performance of several other contenders.

Nicolas Colsaerts will partner Pablo Larrazabal and Adrien Dumont de Chassart at Albatross Golf Resort, with Edoardo Molinari playing alonsgide Yannik Paul and Rasmus Hojgaard and Francesco Molinari drawn with Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg.

“I’m not sure if it was the jet-lag last night or lots of things building up, but I was up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night,” Donald said.

“Lots of things whirring through my head – who I should be talking to, next steps, all that sort of stuff.

“It’s becoming more and more as the week gets closer. A lot to digest, I’m trying to take it day by day, but it’s an important week. I’m excited to be very close to finalising those 12 guys.”

Next week’s Omega European Masters is the final qualifying event, with Donald naming his wild cards on September 4.

“There are definitely some spots open,” the former world number one added.

“I was looking at the statistics this morning and someone as low as 23rd on the European Points list, if they won this week and next, still has a statistical chance of making that top three on the list.

“All to play for, I’d say, and these guys should be chomping at the bit to show up and have some good weeks. It’s great to see that commitment. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Everyone in their right mind should have playing a Ryder Cup as a goal of theirs. People who have played never want to miss one once they’ve been a part of it. Rookies want to understand how special the event is.

“A lot of guys who should be playing are playing this week and I’m excited to see how the week unfolds.”

Norway’s Viktor Hovland fired a stunning final round of 61 to win his fifth PGA Tour title in the BMW Championship.

Hovland birdied seven of the last nine holes at Olympia Fields to cover the back nine in just 28 shots and overhaul world number one Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler began the day in a tie for the lead with Matt Fitzpatrick and carded a closing 66, but had no answer to Hovland’s stunning scoring burst.

Hovland found himself four shots off the pace when he followed birdies on the first, third and fifth with a three-putt bogey on the seventh, but surged back into contention with a hat-trick of birdies from the 10th.

The 25-year-old also picked up shots on the 14th and 15th and moved into a share of the lead with his ninth birdie of the day on the 17th.

Another birdie on the last took the Ryder Cup star to the top of the leaderboard on 17 under par and his victory was effectively secured moments later when Scheffler three-putted the 17th.

Fitzpatrick, whose younger brother Alex finished second on the DP World Tour earlier in the day, ended the day in the same position after matching playing partner Scheffler’s 66 to finish 15 under.

Asked where that round ranked in his career, Hovland told Sky Sports: “It has to be number one.

“I remember playing a pretty special round of golf my first year on Tour, I shot seven under at Torrey Pines when it was hailing and windy and raining and that’s probably the best I’ve ever struck it throughout a round.

“But to shoot 61 and shoot 28 on the back nine at this golf course and under the circumstances, I have nothing that beats that.”

Hovland, who started the day three off the lead, added: “I was thinking if I post a score like I did yesterday (65) I could at least have a chance, but it’s hard when you have so many guys in front of you that are really good and playing awesome.

“Catching heat on the back nine was what I had to do.”

The victory lifts Hovland to second in the FedEx Cup standings behind Scheffler heading into the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Matt Fitzpatrick fired a four-under-par 66 to earn a share of the lead after the third round of the BMW Championship in Chicago.

Only a bogey on the par-four 18th prevented the Yorkshireman moving clear at the top of the leaderboard at Olympia Fields Country Club as he looks to cement his place at next week’s season-ending Tour Championship.

Instead Fitzpatrick will go into the final round tied with American world number one Scottie Scheffler, who hit seven birdies in his six-under-par round of 64, at 11 under par.

Rory McIlroy, who shared the first-round lead only to fall away on Friday, clawed back within three shots of the leaders as he shot a 67 to sit in a tie for fifth place with Norway’s Viktor Hovlund.

Brian Harman’s 67 sees him sit in third place, one stroke adrift of the leaders at 10 under, but it was back to reality for overnight leader Max Homa.

Homa had hit a course record 62 on Friday to fashion a two-stroke advantage but fell away on Saturday, a triple bogey seven on the seventh contributing to a one-over round of 71 that leaves him a further stroke back in fourth place.

It proved even worse for Homa’s fellow American Chris Kirk, who started the day in second place but hit back-to-back double bogeys in his five-over-par 75.

Sam Burns matched Homa’s course record 62 to surge 26 places into a four-way tie for seventh place on seven under alongside Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele and Denny McCarthy.

Rory McIlroy carded a flawless 65 to share a one-stroke lead with American Brian Harman after the first round of the BMW Championship in Chicago.

The Northern Irishman picked up five birdies without dropping a shot, while Harman split six birdies with a bogey on the par four 12th.

The pair lead by one from a six-strong chasing pack which includes England’s Matt Fitzpatrick.

The 28-year-old dropped shots at the start and end of his opening round, but birdied six of nine holes around the turn.

Meanwhile, Patrick Cantlay has some improving to do if he is to be successful in his bid for a third-straight victory in the BMW Championship.

The American carded a two under 68 on Thursday to sit equal-12th.