After a Monday-morning playoff, Viktor Hovland has defeated Scottie Scheffler at the Travelers Championship. It’s been an uncharacteristically down year for Scheffler, but he looked to finally be rounding back into form over the weekend. It just wasn’t quite enough to take down Hovland, who earned his first win of the season and third of his young career.
Viktor Hovland ousts Scottie Scheffler for Travelers
Viktor Hovland could only watch after missing a winning putt by inches on Sunday night. His birdie was narrowly off, and with a Scottie Scheffler par putt from a decent distance, the two had to return Monday morning for a playoff.
Scheffler pumped his fist after nailing the clutch, tournament-extending putt, but it was Hovland who got the last laugh with his own ridiculous putt on the first and only playoff hole. At the time, Scheffler was looking for a win, but he was more than happy to have given himself another shot at it.
“It’s more fun when you’re making the ones to win,” Scheffler said. “But to keep yourself in it is also nice. Like I said, I live another day until tomorrow — and will be coming out in the morning and see what I can do.” Obviously, Scheffler fell short again, but keeping himself alive for a bit longer was a step in the right direction.
Scheffler has just one win, and he hasn’t won a Major this season. Ordinarily, that would be a normal, fine year for most golfers. But for the world number one, it’s not. It’s not up to his standard, even if he maintains a healthy lead in both FedEx Cup points and OWGR ranking points.
Why a reset helped
Having come so close and not being able to seal it could’ve undone Viktor Hovland. Had the two golfers gone to an immediate playoff, which is common but wasn’t possible after a lengthy delay in the final round, Scottie Scheffler’s momentum from the clutch par to tie it might’ve carried him.
Instead, an evening off helped Hovland reset, and it paid dividends. “I hit some good shots and then some bad shots, and I just couldn’t quite get a flow in,” Hovland said of his fourth round. “So, it was nice to just get completely off the golf course and reset, and I felt a lot better coming back. So, sometimes that’s all you need.”
In the morning, he obviously felt good after having time off again, and he did what has become one of the most difficult tasks in golf over the last few years: beat Scheffler. Those final putts mattered for both Hovland and Scheffler, but had both missed again, Collin Morikawa would’ve entered the fold.
“The thought of actually having a chance, waiting it out, didn’t really cross my mind,” Morikawa said. “But I told my wife earlier this morning, ‘Let’s shoot 61 and end the three-week stretch on a good note.’ And sometimes the way you manifest things works out.” It didn’t quite work out, but a third-place finish behind those two golfers is nothing to sneeze at.
Zachary Roberts has written in the sports industry for over four years. He's covered the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Seattle Seahawks, and wider coverage of the NFL, pro golf, NHL, MLB, and NBA. He has worked with ComicBook, Sportskeeda, The Sporting News, and the On SI Network. In his free time, Zachary loves playing video games, watching movies, or reading books.
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