Hero World Challenge winner Hovland edges to Memorial Tournament victory

Two-time Hero World Challenge winner Viktor Hovland of Norway found a hot putter just in time to beat back American Denny McCarthy in the closing round of the $20 million Memorial Tournament presented by Workday in Dublin, Ohio, on Sunday.

The genial Norwegian needed a playoff result to claim his fourth PGA Tour title to go with the two HWC wins at the event hosted by Tiger Woods in the Bahamas in 2021 and 2022 after he and McCarthy had finished the regulation 72 holes in 7 under par 281.

For Korean star Si Woo Kim, bidding to land his second title of the year, it was a disappointing final day as he closed with a 1 over 73 to finish on 5 under 283 and fourth place behind world number one Scottie Scheffler, and two shots back of Hovland and McCarthy.

Hovland has been on a good run this year with three top 10 finishes in recent tournaments including the Players and the PGA Championship where he shared second place with Scheffler. He now sits fifth in the world rankings and on Sunday, also pocketed a $3.6 million winner’s cheque.

Tournament host Jack Nicklaus, holder of a record 18 major championship titles was at hand to give away the handsome winner’s trophy after the issue was settled on the very first extra hole. It was also the champion’s first title in the continental United States.

“It's incredible,” Hovland said later. “Obviously, I feel like I've won a decent amount of tournaments for only being a pro for four years, however, they have been at low-key places, resort courses and abroad.

“So it feels really cool to get my first win on US soil, especially at a tournament like this where this week the golf course is arguably harder than most major championship golf courses we play and the crowds were amazing out there.

“It felt like a major. So it was really cool that I was able to get it done at a place like this.”

Behind him, Kim’s fifth top-10 of the 2022-23 season, which includes a victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, moved him up to sixth place on the latest FedEx Cup standings, the PGA Tour noted.

Leading into the final round alongside Rory McIlroy (75) and David Lipsky (77), a slow start cost Kim as he dropped three strokes in his opening four holes. The four-time tour winner fought back with four birdies in the next five holes before his title run took another hit with a bogey immediately after the turn, missing a par attempt from seven feet.

Four holes later, a double bogey all but ended Kim’s hopes of a second win for the season. Still, a cheque worth $980,000 would have been some consolation for the Korean who took his season’s earnings over the $4.8 million mark.

Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama, tournament winner in 2014, started the final round two back but closed with a 76 to finish in a share of 16th place on 288, with Korea's Byeong Hun An a further stroke back in T24 with a closing 72.

World number three McIlroy, who was also chasing a second win of the season, settled for tied seventh place with a closing 3 over 75 that dropped him six places on the leaderboard. It was his highest final-round score since the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

Incidentally, Hovland’s run of 71, 71, 69 and 70 made him the first player to record four scores of 69 or higher and still go on and win since Phil Mickelson at the 2021 PGA Championship and the first outside of a major since Brandt Snedeker at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open. He was also the only one in the field with four under-par scores for the week.