Viktor Hovland held his nerve to see off a spirited problem from Scottie Scheffler and retain the Hero World Problem title within the Bahamas.
Hovland was at risk of squandering a two-shot lead on the ultimate gap at Albany Golf Membership, however he salvaged an unlikely bogey to carry the title for the second time in two years.
Scheffler additionally bogeyed the 18th after his chip from a waste bunker caught the sting of the outlet and ran 15 toes previous. That left Hovland to have a good time an unexpectedly dramatic two-shot win on 16 below par, after a closing 69.
Hovland had a three-shot lead over Scheffler going into the ultimate spherical, however arrange a nervy end on Sunday’s last gap after pulling his second shot from an ungainly lie on the sting of a bunker into the water, earlier than managing to stand up and down for a priceless bogey.
“It’s freaking nerve-racking,” stated Hovland. “I used to be main by 5, I feel, after the flip and didn’t play all that nice on the again 9, however it was adequate. It made it slightly bit thrilling, I assume.”
Scheffler, who wanted to win to reclaim prime spot on the earth rankings from Rory McIlroy, momentarily held a share of the lead when the Masters champion adopted birdies on the second and fourth by chipping in for eagle on the sixth. Nonetheless, enjoying associate Hovland holed from 20 toes on the identical gap to edge again in entrance and Scheffler’s hopes seemed to have disappeared with a bogey on the seventh and double bogey on the par-five ninth. Scheffler then stored the stress on with 4 birdies on the again 9, which just about paid off on the 18th.
Hovland joins event host Tiger Woods (2006-07) as the one gamers to win back-to-back titles within the limited-field occasion, which is restricted to simply 20 gamers. Woods was set to play on this 12 months’s occasion, however pulled out because of a foot harm simply days earlier than the event.
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