Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler Made Just Enough Mistakes to Let This PGA Slip Away
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Scottie Scheffler and Norway’s Viktor Hovland had a chance this week to put their names on the Wanamaker Trophy but couldn’t corral Brooks Koepka, who put together a final round 67 and a two-shot victory at the 105th PGA Championship.
Koepka let the contenders make the mistakes, which often happens at a major, and both Scheffler and Hovland obliged.
For Scheffler, the mistakes came on the front nine of Saturday's third round with four bogeys and a four-over 39, which sent him tumbling down the leaderboard. He started Sunday’s final round four shots back of Koepka.
Hovland fought Koepka for 15 holes in Sunday’s final group and then made a major mistake when he hit his tee shot in the right fairway bunker and skulled the bunker shot into the bunker face, just as Corey Conners did in the same bunker on Saturday.
The drop from the embedded ball eventually turned into a double bogey for Hovland, as Koepka made birdie and sealed the victory.
“It's not easy going toe-to-toe with a guy like that, he is not going to give you anything, and I didn't really feel like I gave him anything either until 16,” Hovland said of Koepka. “I feel like I belong out here, and I just have got to get a little bit better, and hopefully it goes my way the next time.”
Scheffler knows he belongs out here with a win at last year’s Masters and three top-10 finishes in the last five majors, including a runner-up finish on Sunday after a final round 65.
“I always felt like I was in it most of the day,” Scheffler said. “And then I started making some birdies on the back nine and felt like I could make a move.”
Looking back Scheffler felt that both the 15th and 16th holes were birdie chances, but with a bad shot into the par-3 15th and a good iron shot that caught a wind gust at the par-4 16th, his last legitimate birdie chances were gone.
“Maybe I could have gotten that one a little closer, but I'm
not going to sit around and think about what could have
been this weekend,” Scheffler said. “I put up a good fight, and I'm proud of how I played.”
For both Hovland and Scheffler, a little regroup might be appropriate before the next major of the year next month, the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
For Scheffler, it’s not clear what happened on the front nine on Saturday, but he regrouped nicely and recorded seven birdies and a single bogey over the last 27 holes at Oak Hill.
So, it could have been an aberration or a loss of concentration, but by getting back in contention on Sunday, the 27-year-old Scheffler didn’t let the moment get too big and leaves Oak Hill not only with another runner-up in a major, but as No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking (the Sports Illustrated World Golf Rankings will be updated Monday morning, where Scheffler may make a similar move).
“Saturday is probably what cost me the tournament,” Scheffler said. “Major championship golf courses, it's really hard to play
four rounds under par, and if you do, usually you're holding
a trophy at the end. If I would have done that, that's where
I would be this afternoon instead of going home with
second.”
For Hovland, he believes his game is right where it needs to be and it might be the next major or the one after that, but he believes his game meets the criteria for a major victory.
“It sucks right now, but it is really cool to see that things are going the right direction,” Hovland said. “If I just keep taking care of my business and just keep working on what I've been doing, I think we're going to get one of these soon.”