Viktor Hovland beats Scottie Scheffler in Monday playoff to win Travelers, his first PGA Tour title in 15 months
Viktor Hovland birdied the first extra hole to topple world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a rare Monday finish at TPC River Highlands, claiming his first PGA Tour victory since March 2025.
A 9 a.m. playoff on a Monday morning settled the Travelers Championship after rain and darkness forced an overnight suspension. Viktor Hovland drained a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th, then watched Scottie Scheffler's 4-foot birdie attempt slide past the cup, delivering Hovland his eighth career PGA Tour win and first in 15 months.
The Sunday night cliffhanger
Scheffler, the world No. 1, shot a final-round 68 and looked poised to end a five-month winless streak when he birdied the 13th hole to go two shots clear of Hovland. A thunderstorm halted play at 5:57 p.m. local time for 83 minutes, and when the players returned, Hovland immediately birdied the 14th and 15th to pull level. As light faded, Hovland's 25-foot birdie try on the 72nd green slid by, and Scheffler holed an 8.5-foot par putt to force the extra session. Organisers deemed there was too little daylight for a playoff, pushing the finish to Monday.
It's nice to be able to hole those putts, keep myself in the tournament. I live another day until tomorrow.
A playoff decided by inches
Returning to the 18th fairway, both players found the centre of the hole. Scheffler stiffed his approach to four feet; Hovland answered by spinning his to around seven feet. The Norwegian's downhill slider caught the right edge and dropped. Scheffler, playing more pace outside the left edge, missed the line and saw his putt race past the high side, sending the victory to Hovland.
Winning in the play-off against Scottie, best player in the world, that was pretty satisfying.
Hovland's resurgence
The 28-year-old, who fell outside the world's top 30 while struggling with swing changes, jumped 18 spots to 12th in the ranking with the $3.6 million winner's cheque. He had shown signs of life with a solo third at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago and now has his first victory since the 2025 Valspar Championship. Norwegian soccer fans, who had been in Boston for the World Cup, chanted 'Hov-land!' throughout the final stretch, giving the event a festive, Ryder Cup-style atmosphere.
Scheffler's near-miss pattern
Scheffler, the defending FedEx Cup champion, owns only one win in 2026 (The American Express in January). His Sunday night runner-up was his fourth of the season, including a Masters playoff loss and a final-group appearance at the U.S. Open. His iron play, while still elite, has dipped roughly half a stroke per round by his own standards, and he continues to miss putts inside five feet in key moments.
Timeline of a chaotic finish
- Thunderstorm suspends play; Scheffler leads by two after a birdie at 13.
- Play resumes after 83-minute delay; Hovland birdies 14 and 15 to draw level.
- Fading light. Hovland misses 25-foot birdie on 18; Scheffler saves par from 8.5 feet. Playoff postponed to Monday.
- Monday playoff: Both hit fairway; Scheffler's approach stops 4 feet, Hovland's 7 feet from the hole.
- Hovland sinks birdie putt; Scheffler misses 4-footer. Hovland wins Travelers Championship.
Collin Morikawa made a Sunday charge with a bogey-free 61 to finish alone at 20 under, one stroke out of the playoff. Matt Fitzpatrick (64) was fourth at 19 under, two ahead of his brother Alex, who shot consecutive 64s. Wyndham Clark and Akshay Bhatia tied for fifth at 18 under.
