MIAMI (AFP) – Norway’s Viktor Hovland made back-to-back eagles down the stretch on Sunday (Dec 5) to carry off American Scottie Scheffler and win the Hero World Problem after 54-hole chief Collin Morikawa unravelled.
Ninth-ranked Hovland started the day six strokes adrift however fired a six-under par 66 to finish 72 holes on 18-under 270 on the Albany resort within the Bahamas. That was ok for a one-stroke victory within the 20-man invitational hosted by Tiger Woods.
“It is actually cool,” Hovland mentioned. “Being Tiger’s occasion, that is unimaginable to be part of and particularly to win it. “I have never actually completed all that nicely in these restricted discipline occasions so hopefully that is going to alter.”
The 24-year-old from Oslo matched the perfect final-round fightback by any Problem champion. “I did not assume a win was going to be very believable,” Hovland mentioned. “However I do know this golf course is hard. You can also make quite a lot of birdies and you can also make up quite a lot of floor but it surely’s very straightforward to make bogeys and doubles.
“I knew if I put a very good rating up there you by no means know what is going on to occur.”
Hovland, who defended a US PGA title final month at Mayakoba, additionally gained a European Tour title this yr in June at Munich. He took full benefit of a collapse by reigning British Open champion Morikawa, who squandered a five-stroke lead with an opportunity to develop into world primary by successful.
The second-ranked American, who obtained engaged earlier within the week, matched the Problem futility mark of Charley Hoffman, who squandered a five-stroke lead within the closing spherical in 2017.
Scheffler birdied six of the final eight holes to complete second on 271 after a second straight 66 with People Sam Burns and Patrick Reed on 273 and Morikawa taking pictures 76 to match Justin Thomas in fifth on 274.
Burns, Hovland and Reed shared the lead at 15-under with Morikawa and Scheffler two again when the back-nine battle started, however bogeys by Reed at 10 and Burns at 11 left the Norwegian within the lead alone.
Hovland, who reeled off three consecutive birdies beginning on the par-5 sixth, birdied the par-5 eleventh to remain in entrance after Burns birdied 12. Hovland missed the inexperienced on the par-3 twelfth and made bogey, falling right into a share of the lead with Burns, whose triple-bogey catastrophe on the par-4 14th doomed his bid.
Scheffler, who started the day seven adrift and made triple bogey on the fourth, birdied the par-5 fifteenth for his fourth birdie in 5 holes to seize a share of the lead. However Hovland answered together with his third eagle of the week at 14, blasting the ball out of a bunker, throughout the inexperienced and into the cup to grab a two-shot lead.
Scheffler birdied 16 and the par-3 seventeenth to once more share the lead however Hovland answered by sinking an 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifteenth to revive his two-stroke benefit.
Hovland birdied 16 for a three-stroke edge and was in a position to shut bogey-bogey and nonetheless safe the triumph. Morikawa, who started the day with a five-stroke lead, hooked second photographs left into bushes for misplaced balls on the par-4 fourth and par-5 sixth, making double bogeys on every to fall two adrift of Burns and set the stage for the back-nine shootout.
Fallacious tee for 2
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and American Jordan Spieth, within the first pairing, have been handed two-stroke penalties for enjoying from the mistaken tees on the par-5 ninth. They as a substitute performed from the adjoining seventeenth tee.
Organisers switched the tees for the ultimate spherical after having warned gamers they could make such a transfer. “I’ve by no means skilled that earlier than,” Spieth mentioned.
“There was a sheet saying there was a brand new yardage on 17 however there was nothing about quantity 9.” “We did not concentrate being first out and simply motoring alongside,” Stenson mentioned. “Somewhat notice on the tee field would have been useful.”
