Hovland hangs on to retain Hero World Challenge crown

By Rahul Banerji

In the end, 2021 winner Viktor Hovland won the Hero World Challenge for a second year running, but not before creating a flutter at Albany in the Bahamas on Sunday.

The Norwegian needed a 20-foot bogey putt to seal his win as nearest rival Scottie Scheffler could do no better than bogey when he needed a birdie to tie the lead on the day’s final hole.

The result meant Hovland would join tournament host Tiger Woods as the only consecutive title-winners of the event, Woods having last done so in 2007.

Three up at the start and four ahead after the first nine holes, Hovland stuttered down the back straight with the lead falling to a single shot before recovering his composure.

Hovland shot a three-under 69 to total 16-under 272 as Scheffler could only tally 14-under 274 and finish runner-up for the second straight year.

Last year, the Norwegian had rallied from six shots back to pip Scheffler.

A win would have taken the American back to number one in the world rankings which he lost to Rory McIlroy while Hovland climbed to ninth with the Albany victory. 

Hovland won $1 million in prize money and later received the trophy from Woods and Dr Pawan Munjal, chairman and chief executive of Hero MotoCorp.

Dashed hopes

For the second time in two years, Hovland dashed a top rival’s dreams of topping the world rankings 1 with a win at the Hero World Challenge.

Last year as a debutant he thwarted Collin Morikawa from becoming world no. 1. This time it was Scheffler’s turn.

Four up with the final nine holes to go and Hovland made things hard for himself though Scheffler had closed in on first nine with two birdies and a chip-in eagle.

With the gap now down to one, Scheffler went into the shrubs off the tee and ended with a bogey.

In contrast, Hovland rammed home the advantage by finding the green and nailing a 12-footer for birdie. The two-shot swing gave him back a three-shot lead.

Cameron Young made a strong charge and got within two shots at one point until he took a bogey on 16. Xander Schauffele also made an early run until that ended with a bogey on the same hole.

Quick recovery

On the back nine, Hovland dropped his first shot but quickly made up with back-to-back birdies to get to 17-under.

Scheffler playing alongside kept the pressure up with four birdies in six holes and almost got Hovland to crack under the assault.

Hovland found an awkward lie above a fairway bunker off the 18^th tee and splashed his second shot. He took a penalty and wedged the ball to 20 feet, converting the putt for bogey.

Scheffler meanwhile found his own share of trouble in the sandy waste to the right of the green, the resulting chip leaving hom with a 10-foot putt for par.

And while Hovland holed his putt, Scheffler missed keeping the gap between them at two shots in the end.

“It was nerve-wracking,” said Hovland later. “You’re never that comfortable. I didn’t play that great on the back nine, but it was good enough.”

PGA Tour rookie of the year Young had a 68 and finished third, followed by Schauffele (68) and Justin Thomas (70).

Also read: Hovland opens three-shot lead on Moving Day at HWC