Former Oklahoma State Star Viktor Hovland Beats World’s No. 1 Player in Playoff

This former Oklahoma State men’s golfer won his eighth PGA Tour event in a rare Monday morning playoff.

Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler. | John Dufour-Imagn Images

Viktor Hovland had to wait until Monday morning to finish off Scottie Scheffler. But it was worth it.

The former Oklahoma State national champion won his eighth PGA Tour event on Monday in a sudden death playoff against the world’s No. 1 player at the Travelers Championship.

The pair had to stay an extra day for the playoff as darkness kept the pair from continuing after completing their fourth rounds on Sunday. Both had a chance to win the tournament on that final hole and were playing in the same group. But both parred the 18th hole to remain tied and force the playoff.

Viktor Hovland’s Victory

The winning putt for Viktor Hovland ‼️

His 8th PGA TOUR victory comes in a Monday playoff @TravelersChamp. pic.twitter.com/zOC1v17sjR

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2026

The pair only needed one playoff hole on Monday. Both had close birdie putts on the 18th hole. Hovland made his but Scheffler missed his to the left side of the cup and Hovland claimed his latest title.

He already had two Top 10 finishes this season but did not have a win until Monday. While he’s never won a Major, he’s won a FedEx Cup, which he claimed in 2023.

Hovland won his first PGA Tour event in 2020 when he claimed the title at the Puerto Rico Open. He won the Mayakoba Golf Classic later that year. In 2021, he won the World Wide Technology Championship.

After failing to win a title in 2023, he won two in 2023 — the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. Last year won the Valspar Championship.

Hovland played three years at Oklahoma State. In his freshman year he was named to the all-freshman team by the Golf Coaches Association of America, an honorable mention all-American by GCAA and Golfweek and an first-team all-Big 12 pick. He closed that season with four Top 10 finishes and a match play win over former OSU star Wyndham Clark (then at Oregon) in match play in the first round of the NCAA Championships.

His sophomore year of 2018 saw he and the Cowboys win the national championship. He was named a first-team all-American by the GCAA and Golfweek. He also named to the all-Nicklaus team and was selected all-Big 12 first team. He also became the first Norwegian player to win the U.S. Amateur in 2018, which got him into three major championships as an amateur, including low amateur in the 2019 Masters and U.S. Open. He was named the 2019 Ben Hogan award winner as college golf’s best player before turning pro.