Thanks to a phenomenal finish on Sunday, Viktor Hovland has turned around what had been a rough stretch of golf for him.
Hovland, who was trailing by three shots at one point on the back nine, managed to card three birdies in his final five holes to surpass Justin Thomas and secure the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, on Sunday afternoon. This victory marks his seventh career win on the PGA Tour, coming after the 27-year-old had missed three consecutive cuts.
“It’s still sinking in. It was just really cool,” Hovland shared on NBC. “I remained calm even when JT made a birdie on 15 and was three shots ahead. I knew I had to make my putt on 14, but I wasn’t stressing. When it went in, I felt really calm and just focused on hitting good shots and making putts. It was awesome.”
Hovland started the day tied for the lead, but it was Justin Thomas who surged ahead. Thomas, who barely made the cut on Friday, shot a 65 on Saturday to get into contention. He then reached 7-under in his final round after making four birdies in a five-hole stretch, but faltered towards the end. Thomas bogeyed twice in his last three holes, opening the door for Hovland.
Advertisement
However, Hovland’s back nine was nearly flawless. He closed the gap with a birdie on the 14th hole and followed it up with another birdie on the 16th after a superb approach shot.
At the 17th, Hovland sank a crucial 12-foot putt to take the lead as Thomas bogeyed ahead of him. With a two-shot advantage, he could afford to bogey the final hole and secure a one-shot victory. Hovland finished with a 4-under 67 to seal the deal.
His win came after a tumultuous start to the tournament earlier in the week. Several golfers had notable incidents on the course, including Patton Kizzire, Sahith Theegala, and Adam Hadwin.
Advertisement
Thomas finished in second place at 10-under for the week with a final-round 66. The seasoned pro has not won on Tour since the 2022 PGA Championship. Jacob Bridgeman claimed third place at 9-under.
This victory is Hovland’s first since the 2023 season, where he had a stellar run on Tour. Despite a lackluster performance last season, he bounced back with a remarkable win at the Valspar Championship.
Advertisement
Just two days prior to his triumph, Hovland had expressed frustration with his game. However, his perseverance and hard work paid off in a remarkable comeback.