Scottie Scheffler forces Monday playoff against Viktor Hovland at Travelers Championship
Travelers Championship heads to Monday playoff
Scottie Scheffler secured an 8-foot par putt on the 18th hole on Sunday, demonstrating notable emotion, to earn the right to return Monday for a sudden-death playoff against Viktor Hovland at the rain-delayed Travelers Championship. The final round saw a 90-minute stoppage due to storms moving over the TPC River Highlands, leading officials to determine there was insufficient daylight to commence the playoff on Sunday.
The playoff is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Monday. This marks the first instance a PGA TOUR event has extended to an extra day since THE PLAYERS Championship last year. Scheffler commented on the situation, stating, “It’s more fun when you’re making the ones to win. 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.”
Both Scheffler and Hovland had birdie opportunities at the conclusion of their rounds. Scheffler’s 30-foot putt went 8 feet past the hole. Hovland’s 25-foot attempt narrowly missed, and he tapped in for a 69. Scheffler then made his third significant par putt for a 68, matching Hovland at 21-under 259.
Course conditions and player performances
Hovland, who started the final round with a one-shot lead over Scheffler, found himself two shots behind when play was interrupted by heavy rain and lightning near the 14th hole, with both players in the fairway. Following the delay, Hovland sank a 15-foot birdie putt from just off the green to narrow the gap to one shot. Scheffler then needed to make a 6-foot par putt to maintain his lead.
On the par-4 15th, Scheffler’s pitch from the collar of rough, where wet grass may have prevented his tee shot from entering the water, sped towards the pin on the top shelf, continuing over the back and down a slope. He chipped the ball just onto the green and made another crucial par putt, while Hovland was close for his third consecutive birdie. This sequence resulted in a tie between the two competitors.
Scheffler missed a significant opportunity on the 17th hole, where a 10-foot birdie chance spun off the left edge of the cup. The world’s top-ranked player managed to hit a shot from the wet rough to the right of the 18th fairway, landing it just under 30 feet from the hole. PGA TOUR officials had decided before the completion of the 18th hole that there would not be enough light for even one extra hole.
The two players reached the playoff situation through different paths. Scheffler’s round included three birdies against one bogey. Hovland experienced a 10-hole stretch in the middle of his round with only two pars. Hovland initially fell behind by two shots, but a two-shot swing on No. 7 helped him recover. A two-shot swing then favoured Scheffler at the start of the back nine, before Hovland regained ground with three consecutive birdies, with the final two occurring after rain altered the course conditions.
Hovland noted that the break in play was beneficial for him to regain composure. He stated, “I hit some good shots and then some bad shots and I just couldn’t quite get a flow in. 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.”
Other notable performances
Collin Morikawa concluded his round impressively, hitting a shot from the wet sand in a bunker on the 18th to just inside 10 feet for his ninth birdie of the round, finishing at 20-under 260. Morikawa, who began the day nine shots behind the leader, waited approximately three hours, including the delay, before departing. He finished one shot behind Scheffler and Hovland.
Morikawa reflected on his performance, saying, “The thought of actually having a chance, waiting it out, didn’t really cross my mind. 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 finished alone in fourth place after shooting a 64. U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark also performed well after a demanding week, despite hitting a shot into the water for a bogey on the 17th. Clark posted a 65 and was three shots behind the leaders.
The playoff between Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland is set to resume on Monday at 9 a.m.
Source: pgatour.com
