World number 1 Scottie Scheffler faces 30th-ranked Viktor Hovland in a Monday playoff for the Travellers Championship title. Image courtesy PGA Tour/X.
By Rahul Banerji
World no. 1 Scottie Scheffler sent a winning birdie putt eight feet past the flag on the final hole but made sure of a par to tie Viktor Hovland and take the Travellers Championship into a Monday sudden-death playoff.
Scheffler and Norway’s Hovland finished tied at 21 under par 259 after 72 holes on a day of dramatic shifts in fortune at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Tournament officials decided it was too dark for the playoff on Sunday after a 90-minute weather interruption, setting up a first Monday playoff on the PGA Tour after The Players last year.
Both 2024 winner Scheffler and Hovland both had birdie chances on the 72nd hole. Scheffler saw his 30-footer slide eight feet past while Hovland’s birdie effort stopped right by the cup’s edge.
The two finished tied at 21 under 259 after Scheffler shot a 2 under 68 and Hovland, who won the Valspar Championship a year ago to break a two-year winless drought, returned a 1 under 69.
“It’s more fun when you’re making the ones (putts) to win,” Scheffler said.
Staying in
“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.”
Hovland started the day leading Scheffler by a shot fell back midway through the back nine but heavy rain and lightning gave him an opportunity to revive his push for victory.
“I hit some good shots and then some bad shots and I just couldn’t quite get a flow in,” Hovland said of the interruption.
“So it was nice to just get completely off the golf course and reset and I felt a lot better coming back. Sometimes that’s all you need.”
He birdied the first hole after resumption and pulled level on on the next hole with Scheffler scrambling for pars both times.
Another chance
Back on level terms, Scheffler had yet another chance to pull ahead but saw his putt veer away from the cup.
A brace of opportunities followed on 18 but both parred safely to send the decider into the shootout.
Collin Morikawa closed with a 61 after being briefly tied for the lead, to take sole third place on 20 under 260
“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.”
Matt Fitzpatrick (19 under 261) took fourth place with a closing 64 followed by US Open champion Wyndham Clark (65) and Akshay Bhatia (67) in shared fifth at 18 under 262.
Also read: Clark battles to second US Open title as Theegala, Rai finish well
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