Viktor Hovland Suffers Another Major Heartbreak, But A Fairytale Ending Is Coming Soon

Viktor Hovland found himself just one shot back of Brooks Koepka heading to the 16th hole on Sunday at Oak Hill Country Club. Hovland, seeking his first Major Championship, has been in contention at three straight tournaments that would etch his name in the game of golf forever.

For now, it will have to wait.

Hovland’s charge to top Koepka seemed imminent after shaving what was a massive lead into a single stroke as the final holes approached. Hovland walked to 16, hit his tee shot in the right fairway bunker, and found himself in an identical situation that Canadian Corey Conners was in on Saturday: a topped 9-iron shoved its way into the grass-covered upslope of the bunker. It would lead to an unplayable lie, a drop, and a double bogey.

Hovland played a round of golf that was not suited for the faint-hearted. Finding yourself in the final pairing of a Major with Brooks Koepka and behind him on the leaderboard is something only Jon Rahm has come out of alive, and that happened earlier this year at Augusta. Phil Mickelson managed to fend off Koepka at the 2021 PGA at Kiawah Island, but Lefty held a lead going into the final 18 holes.

Hovland didn’t match the performance of Rahm, but it was more than another dropped opportunity at winning his first Major Championship. It was an indication of things that are trending in the right direction (via Golf.com):

“It sucks right now, but it is really cool to see that things are going in the right direction. First place is a lot better than tied for second, but it is fun to even just have a chance to [win] one of these.”

No quit in Viktor Hovland 😤 pic.twitter.com/ryItLuONmT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 22, 2023

Hovland has been close to winning a Major for several tournaments in a row now. At St. Andrews last year, he was paired with Rory McIlroy at a chance to win the Claret Jug, but both bottled the opportunity and were overtaken by a pair of Cams, as Cam Smith was the Champion Golfer of the Year and Cam Young’s miracle drive on the 18th put him in the runner-up spot.

At Augusta in April, Hovland was paired with Patrick Cantlay on Sunday and managed to come away with a T7 performance, sharing a score of -6 with Cam Young.

Looking back at Oak Hill, Hovland had his opportunities. The big question was how Hovland would handle the treacherous conditions that left him relying on his shaky short game. He answered with clutch putts, precise iron play, and other strong areas throughout the weekend. Sunday was just a tad different.

After Koepka suffered back-to-back bogies on the 6th and 7th holes, Hovland came within striking distance. Koepka hit his drive on seven into the penalty area, and Hovland had a chance to put some serious pressure on, but he missed a green and went into a bunker, where his short game had to come into play.

Even still, he pulled within 1.

CLUTCH birdie for Viktor Hovland 🐦

He is one shot off the lead @PGAChampionship. pic.twitter.com/EXI30jiduq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 21, 2023

But what is left is hindsight, which is always 20/20, as the old saying goes.

after Sunday’s final round came to a close, Hovland said:

“I didn’t hit every single green out there and had some bad swings and left myself in some spots where I had to rely on my short game. I thought I did. If I wouldn’t have gotten those up and down, at least I wouldn’t even have a shot coming down the stretch.”

All of these revelations will eventually translate to a championship on golf’s biggest stage. For now, Hovland holds the keys to his future, and if it’s anything like his outfits, he’s in damn good shape.

Cover Image Via WHAM