CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) 鈥� Viktor Hovland feels he is headed in the right direction, and Saturday at the Travelers Championship was a big test. He played alongside Scottie Scheffler on a course that features plenty of water and shots that can cause some stress.
A two-shot swing on the 18th hole 鈥� Hovland made a 6-foot birdie, Scheffler three-putted from 25 feet on the fringe for bogey 鈥� gave the Norwegian star a 6-under 64 and a one-shot lead over the world’s No. 1 player.
鈥淛ust had a great time,鈥� Hovland said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a while since I鈥檝e been in this position. To go head-to-head against the best player in the world and pull off some great shots, it was just a lot of fun.鈥�
The pleasant surprise was the support he had in the crowd.
Scheffler is enormously popular and the TPC Highlands had a vocal gallery. Hovland had plenty of support from a Norway contingent that drove over from Boston following a World Cup loss to France. that has become so popular in the stadium and subway stations and wherever they gather.
Hovland knows it well. Oddly enough, it was the first time he had seen it live.
鈥淚 mean, we鈥檙e Vikings, so it鈥檚 kind of in our DNA,鈥� Hovland said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of funny, that鈥檚 the first time I鈥檝e ever seen it. I think that鈥檚 the first time we鈥檝e ever done it, especially in the World Cup. So yeah, it took us 1,000 years to figure it out. I think it鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�
鈥淩o, ro, ro!鈥� they chanted as Hovland approached the 18th green. 鈥淯SA! USA!鈥� came the American chants. It was good banter on a Saturday afternoon in New England, an example why partisan cheering in a World Cup year is far more palatable than a Ryder Cup year.
It was the second straight year Scheffler, whose bogey gave him a 67, fell from the top of the leaderboard going into the weekend at the TPC River Highlands, though this was no cause for alarm. A year ago, he opened with a triple bogey, shot 72 and fell nine shots behind.
This was one hole, and he was only one shot behind as Scheffler tries to win for the first time since the start to his season in the California desert.
Hovland was at 20-under 190 and gets another afternoon with Scheffler on Sunday. The next closest players were Patrick Cantlay (64) and Akshay Bhatia (67), who were five shots behind.
鈥淭his is a golf course where you can see some numbers be shot. You know, guys can shoot pretty low,鈥� Scheffler said. 鈥淕oing into tomorrow just try to execute, have a good round, and see where that puts me.鈥�
Hovland started two shots behind and it took him four holes 鈥� three birdies 鈥� to catch Scheffler. From there, it was a bit of a pillow fight as they matched mostly pars, two birdies and one bogey to remain tied.
Scheffler regained the lead with a lob wedge to 2 feet on the 14th. Both got up-and-down from the front of the green on the reachable par-4 15th 鈥� Scheffler with a nifty chip that floated up the slope and trickled down to the pin 鈥� and exchanged pars going to the 18th.
That’s where it flipped, giving Hovland the lead.
鈥淭he score is nice … but I’m very process-driven,鈥� Hovland said. “As soon as I find a certain feel that I can trust and it produces a pretty reliable shot shape, I know that I鈥檓 going to be able to score pretty well from there. So if I happen to shoot 2 under or 6 under or 9 under, that鈥檚 not the most important thing. As soon as I see the shots that I鈥檓 trying to hit and execute, that鈥檚 what gives me the confidence.
鈥淭hen it鈥檚 all a bonus on top being able to do it at this stage and in front of that many people.鈥�
There was separation, but this is not a duel given the nature of this course that allows for low scoring and dynamic finishes because of the closing hole.
鈥淭he beauty of this golf course is that I think Scottie and I have separated ourselves from the rest of the field, but at the same time, 14 or 15 under is still very much in this thing if they go and shoot a very low score tomorrow,鈥� Hovland said.
鈥淪o we still have to go out there and play very similar to what we did today,鈥� he said. 鈥淥therwise, we鈥檙e bringing in a lot more guys.鈥�
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