It was so near, yet so far once again for Scottie Scheffler at the Travelers Championship this week, with the world number one losing out to Viktor Hovland after a playoff at TPC River Highlands.
After Scottie Scheffler hit his approach into the 18th hole on Monday morning, few would have imagined that the playoff would end shortly after with Viktor Hovland lifting the trophy.
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Unfortunately, Scheffler was too heavy-handed with the birdie putt he needed to hole to extend the battle. It barely caught the left edge of the cup before slipping by.
The 30-year-old has now finished second four times since his most recent PGA Tour victory. But there is obviously reason for Scheffler to be content with his performance at the final signature event of the year.
Circumstances cost Scottie Scheffler at the Travelers Championship
Hovland deserves enormous credit for going toe to toe with Scheffler and getting across the line. However, it would be fair to say that the weather helped the Norwegian on Sunday.
Little was going right for the 28-year-old over the opening stages of the final round. Meanwhile, Scheffler had moved one shot ahead of Collin Morikawa when play was halted due to the thunderstorms nearby.
Scheffler had played the final five holes in five under par over the first three rounds. However, he was unable to make another birdie when play resumed late on Sunday.
Hovland, meanwhile, managed to birdie 14 and 15 to move level with his rival.
So the stoppage certainly seemed to help the European.
Scheffler set up the playoff with a superb par putt from just inside nine feet on the 72nd hole. Even the usually stoic four-time major champion could not help but celebrate finding the bottom of the cup.
The reaction from the galleries would have evoked memories of last year’s event, when Keegan Bradley seemingly struck a psychological blow ahead of the Ryder Cup by snatching the title from Tommy Fleetwood’s grasp.
Mother Nature was smiling down on Viktor Hovland at TPC River Highlands
Had the playoff begun on Sunday evening, Scheffler would have had almost all of the momentum, particularly as he won a playoff against Tom Kim at the same event in 2024.
But the weather delay meant that there was not enough time for Scheffler and Hovland to return to the tee before it became too dark.
The atmosphere on Monday morning was, understandably, much flatter. It was also notable just how many Norwegians were still in attendance ahead of the country’s last 32 tie at the World Cup.
Scheffler has been a notoriously slow starter this season, particularly when it comes to opening rounds.
So it makes a lot of sense that he failed to get across the line after those stoppages.
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