sport news Viktor Hovland wins Hero World Challenge to match Tiger Woods record trends now
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. Woods defended his title back in 2006-07.
'I made it a little more exciting, I guess,' Hovland said.
Viktor Hovland has joined Tiger Woods as the only person to defend the Hero World Challenge
Woods was not playing this year but was on hand to see Hovland celebrate his latest triumph
Woods won back-to-back Hero World Challenges in 2006 and 07 but isn't the only man to do it
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
