Norway’s Viktor Hovland likes how the Travelers Championship has unfolded this weekend.
Now, he needs an encore.
Hovland birdied the final hole to shoot 6-under-par 64 and snatch the lead from Scottie Scheffler at the end of the third round Saturday at Cromwell, Conn.
“It has been a while since I’ve been in this position,” Hovland said. “To go head-to-head against the best player in the world and pull off some great shots, it was just a lot of fun.”
Hovland leads by one stroke at 20-under 190 heading into the final round Sunday at TPC River Highlands.
“Definitely a lot of birdies out there,” Scheffler said. “So got to be hitting some shots and holing in putts.”
Scheffler, ranked the world’s No. 1 golfer, birdied three consecutive holes on the back nine to regain sole possession of the lead before a bogey on the last hole cost him a share of the lead. Hovland sank a 6½-foot putt to finish his round.
Hovland is trying to win on the PGA Tour for the first time since last year’s Valspar Championship. He ended up in third place two weeks ago at the Canadian Open but then missed the cut in the U.S. Open.
“I think Scottie and I have separated ourselves from the rest of the field, but at the same time, 14- or 15-under is still very much in this thing if they go and shoot a very low score tomorrow,” Hovland said. “So we still have to go out there and play very similar to what we did today. Otherwise, we’re bringing in a lot more guys.”
Scheffler is aiming to win this tournament for the second time in three years. He entered the day holding a two-shot advantage on Hovland.
“This is a golf course where you can see some numbers be shot,” Scheffler said. “Guys can shoot pretty low. Going into tomorrow just try to execute, have a good round, and see where that puts me.”
Hovland had three birdies on the frontside and four more on the backside Saturday.
Patrick Cantlay (64) and Akshay Bhatia (67) are tied for third place at 15 under. Bhatia was 4 under for the round through eight holes but went 1 over the rest of the way.
Golfers have gained confidence along the way and hope to carry that into Sunday.
“It’s a golf course that I think suits my game, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Cantlay said.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open last weekend, moved into contention by shooting 65 and sharing fifth place at 13 under with Ben Griffin (67), Eric Cole (69), England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (67) and Ireland’s Shane Lowry (64).
There’s pressure to keep up a steady pace of birdies.
“This golf course can be frustrating sometimes, because you see guys taking it low, and you feel like if you’re not making birdies, you get behind,” Clark said.
Clark said he’s challenged to keep up his energy after an exhausting week.
“I just love being here,” Clark said of choosing to stay in the tournament field despite last week’s victory. “I got tons of time coming up after this week and then after the Open Championship, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Fitzpatrick had his only bogey on the first hole. He said the course is set up for low scores.
“There’s some holes where you can be a little more aggressive and some where you have to be a bit more conservative,” Fitzpatrick said. “But overall, I’m just happy with where my game is at and just happy to be here. So everything is a positive.”
The best scores of the round were 63s from Keith Mitchell (12 under for tournament), Brian Harman (11 under), Chris Gotterup (11 under) and Matt McCarty (8 under).
Defending champion Keegan Bradley had 70 — his highest round of the week — and is at 8 under.
–Field Level Media
