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For most professional golfers, a five-month gap between victories on the PGA Tour is barely considered a drought.
For world number one Scottie Scheffler, it’s long enough to make people wonder if something is wrong.
That conversation will last at least another week, especially with the way it happened.
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Viktor Hovland defeated Scheffler on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff Monday morning at TPC River Highlands, winning the Travelers Championship after both players finished regulation time tied at 21 under on Sunday.
And he did it in a spectacular way.
Viktor Hovland reacts after making birdie on the 18th green in a playoff during the continuation of the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. (Jordan Bank/Getty Images)
Both players found the fairway on the first playoff hole. Both players made their approaches within 10 feet. Then Hovland made his birdie putt, putting all the pressure on the best golfer in the world.
Scheffler had a short birdie putt to extend the playoff.
Failed.
Yes, really.
That’s the shocking part. Scheffler forced a playoff Sunday night by making an 8 1/2-foot par putt on the 72nd hole, then returned Monday morning and missed about half that distance with the tournament on the line again.
Golf is weird. Golf is cruel. Even for the best player in the world.
The Travelers Championship needed a rare finish on Monday after weather and darkness prevented the tournament from being decided on Sunday. The playoff began on the par-4 18th hole, and Hovland wasted no time finishing it.
For the Norwegian, it meant a big win after refusing to let Scheffler walk away during a tense, rain-delayed final round.
For Scheffler, it meant another difficult situation.
Scottie Scheffler reacts after missing a putt on the 18th green in a playoff during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Scheffler entered the Travelers with just one win in 2026, which came in January at The American Express. Of course, “just one win” does a lot of work in that sentence.
It’s not that Scheffler has played poorly this season. In fact, quite the opposite. The world’s best player had eight top-five finishes in his first 13 starts this season, including his win at The American Express and runner-up finishes at the Masters, RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship. He finished third at the CJ Byron Nelson Cup and tied for fourth at the US Open last week.
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But Hovland prevented him from turning another close encounter into a trophy.
Scheffler started the final round one shot behind Hovland after a wild first three days in Connecticut. He opened with a 64, nearly shot a historic 59 on Friday before settling for a 60, then posted a 67 on Saturday that left him in solo second place, one behind Hovland.
Scheffler had a great front nine in the final round, making a birdie and a bogey for an par 35. Hovland shot ahead with a 36, allowing several players to return to the tournament.
Collin Morikawa shot 61 in the final round, putting the clubhouse lead at 20 under several hours before Scheffler and Hovland finished.
For a while, it looked like Morikawa might be the player Scheffler had to beat.
Then Hovland made his move.
Scheffler birdied Nos. 10 and 13 to move to 21 under par and take a one-stroke lead over Morikawa’s clubhouse number. Hovland, who also birdied the 13th, was still lurking two back. But that’s when heavy rain began to hit TPC River Highlands and forced an 83-minute weather delay.
After the delay, Hovland completely turned the tournament around.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland reacts after winning the Travelers Championship in a jump-off at TPC River Highlands. (Jordan Bank/Getty Images)
He birdied No. 14 to get within one, then added another birdie on No. 15 to grab a share of the lead. Suddenly, Scheffler was no longer marching toward another PGA Tour victory. He was trying to survive Hovland’s last charge.
Scheffler had his own chance to regain control, but his birdie putt on the 17th hole missed, leaving the two players tied heading into the 72nd hole.
Both players hit solid approach shots at No. 18, but Scheffler found himself a little further away than Hovland. The American gave it too much pace, sending it well beyond the hole and leaving himself at 8 1/2 feet returning for par.
It wouldn’t have mattered if Hovland drained his 25-foot birdie putt, but Hovland’s potential tournament-winning putt simply slipped out of the hole at the end. He tapped for par, meaning Scheffler would have to make his putt to send the pair to the playoffs.
Scheffler rushed the putt, pumped his fist enthusiastically and shook Hovland’s hand before the two players returned Monday morning to decide.
In front of a fairly large crowd, especially for ending Monday morning in Connecticut, Hovland finished the job to secure the eighth victory of his PGA Tour career and his first since the 2025 Valspar Championship last March.
What made the victory so impressive is how he did it. Hovland appeared to be offside when he bogeyed the 10th and Scheffler made birdie. That turned a tie at the top of the leaderboard into a two-stroke deficit against the best player in the world with eight holes remaining.
But he never gave up. He made three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15, with the last two coming immediately after a nearly hour-and-a-half weather delay.
He then returned on Monday and beat Scheffler head-to-head. He watched Scheffler approach to within six feet and then throw his own dart. He buried a clutch putt, thinking he needed to make it or the tournament would be over.
That’s a lot of mental toughness, especially for a player who has had a rollercoaster season.
Hovland has had strong results this season, including top-20 finishes in multiple signature events (WM Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, PLAYERS Championship) and a top-20 finish at the Masters. But he failed to make the cut at either the PGA Championship or the US Open.
For Scheffler it was another great finish that did not result in a victory. Technically, it’s in the middle of a long drought, at least by its lofty standards. He has not won 13 consecutive tournaments since 2023.
Of course, Scheffler’s dry spells would be career-best stretches for almost everyone else. He continues to place near the top of the leaderboards, continues to rack up top-five finishes, and continues to achieve great results on Sundays in golf’s biggest events.
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But when the bar is so high, getting close is not enough.
Scheffler arrived at TPC River Highlands looking like he was ready to put an end to any talk of a dry spell before it became too rowdy. Instead, Hovland dragged him back to Monday and forced him to make one more putt.
This time Scheffler failed.
Nothing is wrong with Scottie Scheffler yet.
But Hovland was best when it mattered most.
