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By Matt Audilet
Contributing Sports Writer
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Viktor Hovland notched his first victory of the 2026 PGA Tour season on Monday morning, beating World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at the Travelers Championship.
Hovland drilled a seven-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, putting the pressure on Scheffler as he stepped up for his four-foot birdie attempt. Scheffler lipped out on the high side, resulting in his fourth runner-up finish of the year.
Hovland recognizes the magnitude of beating a player of Scheffler's caliber.
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"Winning in the playoff against Scottie — best player in the world — that was pretty satisfying," Hovland said after his playoff victory.
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More Golf: Scottie Scheffler Keeps Positive Attitude After Playoff Loss
Scheffler stuck an eight iron to four feet on the first playoff hole, giving the first putt to Hovland. The 28-year-old Norwegian believes his ability to make first altered the way Scheffler approached his putt.
"It's one of those putts that if I make mine, his gets significantly tougher, and if I miss, he probably will make his," Hovland said. "Yeah, it was definitely no gimmies there, so to put the pressure on him was awesome."
It's clear these two PGA Tour stars have a great deal of mutual respect.
"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," Scheffler 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."
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