MIAMI — Viktor Hovland led by four shots at the turn. No one got closer to him than two shots during the final nine holes at the Hero World Challenge.
It sounds easy. Far from it.
Hovland pulled a 6-iron from an awkward lie into the water on the 18th hole and had to make a 20-foot bogey putt for a 3-under 69 to secure victory Sunday, allowing him to join tournament host Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of this holiday event.
“I made it a little more exciting, I guess,” Hovland said.
A year ago, the 25-year-old from Norway rallied from six shots behind on the final day with a 66 to win. That was fun. Far more stressful was leading the entire way at Albany, even when it looked to everyone else that it was a Bahamas breeze.”
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, whose three-putt double bogey on the ninth hole left him five shots behind, stayed in the game with four birdies on the back nine that gave him a fleeting chance, two shots back playing the 18th.
Hovland faced a 6-iron from the slope above a bunker, with water left of the green. The face of the club closed on impact, and the ball headed left into the hazard.
“Basically, just do anything else but hit it in the water,” Hovland said.
“So as soon as that happened, I was pretty frustrated. But I knew that he didn’t have a gimme par, so if I can wedge up there close, I can still make a putt and win the tournament. And if not, he still has to make a par to force me to a playoff.”
But it was a lot more stressful than it should have been.
Scheffler put his approach into the sandy area, and his chip ran over the cup with too much speed, about 10 feet by the hole.
If Hovland missed his bogey putt, Scheffler would have that putt for a playoff.
Hovland ended the suspense. Scheffler missed what became a meaningless putt and shot 68 to finish two shots behind, a runner-up to Hovland for the second straight year.
“I said earlier in the week that I don’t like finishing second,” Scheffler said.
“It’s not a good feeling right now. But I’m proud of the fight.”
