2023 Golf Recap: The Years’ Standout Players
What Happened on The Links?
Our 2023 golf recap looks at the four major winners, the FedEx Cup, and all things LIV vs PGA Tour.
It was another interesting year in golf, and there was plenty of value snapped up with golf betting lines.
Jon Rahm – Masters Champ to LIV
It has been a big year for Spanish star Rahm, who got things started with a Masters win at Augusta.
He fired a good fourth and final round to run down Brooks Koepka, who took a far too laid back approach to his Sunday round.
It looked like Rahm was going to be around on the PGA Tour for a long time, but he recently signed a mouthwatering deal with the rebel league.
He recently posted a tweet to X, stating that he can spend time with his young family, and he also noted the money. Golfers play golf to secure their financial future, so we can hardly blame him.
Luckily for Rahm, his Masters success and world ranking means he can play the majors for the foreseeable future, unlike many of his LIV Tour comrades.
Golf statistics give him a good chance to win a major in 2024, so long as the money doesn’t go to his head.
Koepka Wins for LIV
Getting sick of hearing about LIV? Brooks Koepka made his Masters performance look like no fluke when winning the 2023 PGA Championship.
Securing his fifth major championship and third PGA Championship, the brash American never looked like being beaten.
When he’s winning golf tournaments, he’s hard to run down, and he’s one of the 2023 golf recap highlights.
We loved seeing him return to winning form against the best golf players in the world, and barring injury, he would have more majors to his name.
Clark Makes Breakthrough
It was a surprise with odds to win US Open golf, but American Wyndham Clark made it a reality in 2023.
The 30-year-old had always been a good PGA Tour player, but he had never reached the heights of winning a major.
His best finish in six previous majors was a T75 at the 2021 PGA Championship, including four missed cuts.
It was an out-of-nowhere performance from Clark, but he had recently won the Wells Fargo Championship a month earlier, so he was playing well.
He locked in a battle with fan favorite Rickie Fowler, who had the crowd on his side.
“Obviously I put my own pressure on myself, but yeah, I guess it’s nice being the underdog,” Clark said after the final round. “It was great walking by hearing a lot of people chant for Rickie’s name because it kind of fueled the fire underneath me that I could do it.”
“You stole my putter!”@Wyndham_Clark had some help from @RickieFowler before the U.S. Open. pic.twitter.com/a5tjpkTAEa
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) December 11, 2023
Harman Takes Out Open Championship
The Open Championship when to left-handed golfer Brian Harman, who isn’t the most popular among his peers.
Known for being a bit stroppy and self-serving, there weren’t too many excited fans and bettors to see Harman win. However, leading from start to finish takes some guts.
He had been a solid player for years without being excellent, but it’s hard to take that performance away from him.
Harman paid big odds to win the Open Championship, and his win was one of the shocks of our 2023 golf recap.
With a chip on his shoulder and a deadly short game, Brian Harman nabbed his first major title when he won the 2023 Open Championship.https://t.co/k3BeSb9wkj
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) December 18, 2023
Hovland Steals the Show
Viktor Hovland won the hearts of the golfing public with his 2023 FedEx Cup win.
The Norwegian had always been a popular golfer over the years, but apart from a couple of wins in the Mayakoba Classic, he hadn’t performed to the best of his ability.
However, that all changed when he stormed to victory in the TOUR Championship when running down tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler.
He also took home the big prize money, which set him up to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup. He played well throughout the tournament, and now the world is his oyster.
A hilarious photo was posted post-Ryder Cup of a single Hovland with all the players’ wives and girlfriends. It instantly made him into a superstar, and one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.
We expect big things from Hovland in 2024, coming off the biggest year in his career.
For golf predictions, analysis and more visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
