Scottie Scheffler’s clutch par saves Travelers playoff vs. Viktor Hovland
The last time Scottie Scheffler won the Traveler Championship, he did so in extra holes, defeating Tom Kim in a playoff in 2024.
On Monday, he’ll have a chance to do the same thanks to two big saves as darkness falls at TPC River Highlands on Sunday night.
Scheffler started the day one shot behind Viktor Hovland, but the two tossed the lead back and forth throughout the opening 12 holes. The duo had three one-shot swings and two two-shot swings in the opening five holes. By the time they reached the 12th hole, Scheffler led Hovland by two and seemed ready to pull away from the Norwegian.
Then the rain came. Both Scheffler and Hovland hit the par-5 13th in the rain before the horn sounded due to lightning. After a nearly two-hour delay, Hovland came out and drove 14 and 15 to tie Scheffler.
It was there on the par-4 15th, that Scheffler made his first big par save.
World No. 1’s tee shot landed in the rough left in front of the green. Anticipating that the sunken green would slow his chip, Scheffler tried to put more on it to get it to the back right for an easy birdie. Instead, his chip ran past the hole and off the back of the green. His return chip left him seven feet for the par. With Hovland already in for birdie, Scheffler needed to make the putt to stay tied. He buried it.
“I thought if it came out and was a little softer, the green would reduce the touch,” Scheffler said of his 15-year-old chip. “I thought I had a good hold on that one up, and it looked like it was going. But I did a good job of staying in it. That’s part of golf. When the conditions change, the golf course changes, and you’ve got to take the good ups and the good downs. on it.”
The two exchanged pars on 16 and 17 before reaching the closing hole. As the sun sets, the 72nd hole of the tournament will be the final hole on Sunday, whether or not a winner is crowned.
Hovland split the fairway and hit his approach to 24 feet. Scheffler’s tee shot found the left difficult, but he hit the lie and was able to land his way behind the green. Scheffler’s birdie attempt was high all the way and ran eight feet past the cup. Hovland missed his birdie attempt but chipped in, leaving Scheffler with a testy par putt to decide whether there would be a sudden-death playoff on Monday or if Hovland would be the champion.
Scheffler checked the putt in the dark and poured it to his heart. As his ball found the bottom of the cup, Scheffler let out a big fist pump to put an exclamation point on a tumultuous day of golf in Cromwell, Connecticut.
“It’s nice to be able to block putts, to keep myself in the tournament,” Scheffler said after the round. “It’s very nice when you win but it’s nice to keep it to yourself as I’ve said that I live another day until tomorrow, I’ll go out in the morning and see what I can do.”
Hovland said the weather delay allowed him to get a fresh start, something he felt he needed as Scheffler began to pull away from him in the back nine. Once the game started, Hovland felt more in control of his game.
“I played really good golf this week, so I feel good,” Hovland said. “Obviously I would have liked to finish it legally, but to have another chance to win tomorrow, I feel good about that. So try to get a good night’s sleep and be refreshed.”
It was not enough to defeat the World No. 1. That will have to wait until Monday. Scheffler confirmed it.
