Scottie Scheffler has suggested that losing the Travelers Championship in a Monday playoff is slightly easier to accept due to how hard he knows Viktor Hovland works on his game.
Hovland emerged victorious at TPC River Highlands as the two men returned on Monday to finish off their duel at the final signature event of the season on the PGA Tour.
The Norwegian piled the pressure on by holing his birdie putt first as the pair played the 18th hole once again. Nevertheless, few would have imagined that Scheffler would miss his putt from three feet to extend the playoff.
Scottie Scheffler praises Viktor Hovland after their Travelers Championship playoff
It has the potential to be a significant moment in Hovland’s career, with the 28-year-old constantly searching for the magic formula that will allow him to realise his full potential.
Remarkably, it was only Hovland’s second PGA Tour win since lifting the FedEx Cup in 2023.
It was not for the lack of trying, however, with Scheffler explaining just how impressed he always is by Hovland’s work-rate.
“I’ve been playing golf with Viktor for a long time. We’ve had some good battles in college and out here as a pro. He has so much talent. He hits the ball so solidly. I remember playing with him at Bay Hill a few years ago and I was just telling him, like, Dude, you just hit the ball like so solid every time. It’s really quite impressive,” he said.
“He’s a guy that has a lot of talent and works really hard. So those are the types of guys you like to see have success. When I was warming up on Sunday last week, I saw him on the corner of the range hitting balls by himself. So if he’s not having success it’s not because he’s not putting in the work. So when you see a guy like that who practices as hard as he does and works as hard as he does, you’re always glad to see those people have success.”
What Scottie Scheffler felt he did really well at TPC River Highlands
Scheffler will be frustrated that his wait for a second victory this season continues. He has come close on a number of occasions this year. But in time, he will be able to take some positives from putting himself in contention once again.
In fact, when asked about his performance at TPC River Highlands, Scheffler suggested that he was extremely happy with how he hit the ball across the week.
“Ball striking is definitely in a good spot. That was some of the best I hit it all season, which is a good spot,” he said.
“Obviously I think just a little bit, a little disappointed with the results of today. But, yeah, I did a good job of keeping myself in the tournament last night, made the nice putt to close out last night, and so trying to remember that one.”
Scheffler also spoke about the challenges of preparing for a Monday playoff.
“I tried to stick to my routine, but obviously it’s a bit different when you’re there on a Monday and kind of all your normal stuff isn’t there like, just from more of a logistics perspective. Like, doing your warm-up, it kind of felt a little bit like a college event again, where you’re trying to find someplace in the clubhouse where you can stretch out. But fortunately I had my stuff with me,” he added.
It is a shame to think that the signature events are already done for another year. All focus will now be on The Open Championship, the FedEx Cup playoffs, and the Presidents Cup.
Unsurprisingly, it appears that Scheffler’s short-term plan is to rest as much as possible as he admitted to feeling drained by how many times he has been in the mix to win this year.
“Yeah, it’s been two really, really long weeks. Being in contention both weeks. Any time after a major championship, especially a U.S. Open, I think you’re going to be pretty worn out,” he said.
“But like I said, I felt like I did some really nice things this week, which I’ll use that momentum going into the rest of the season.”
