To get to the iconic handshake with Jack Nicklaus after winning the Memorial Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Viktor Hovland had to get through more than Denny McCarthy on the first extra hole.
Hovland had to survive a major championship-like setup that produced one of the most demanding tests of the PGA Tour season; he had to overcome a two-stroke deficit with two holes remaining; and he had to convince himself that taking dead aim isn’t always the most beneficial approach, even for one of the game’s best ball-strikers.
The payoff was a victory that seemed to have been building for a while.
“I’ve been playing well but just been trying to stay within myself and play my own game,” said Hovland, who finished at 7-under-par 281. “Maybe before I’ve fired at some pins I shouldn’t have. I just played my game and came up clutch this time. It feels even better after some close calls.”
Hovland has been flirting with a big victory this year, finishing T3 at the Players Championship, T7 at the Masters and T2 at the PGA Championship.
On a challenging weekend, Hovland shot 69-70 and got help from McCarthy, whose only bogey Sunday came at the difficult par-4 18th to force the playoff. Hovland made a 27½-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole – the only birdie of the day on that hole – to get within one. When McCarthy could not save par after a poor tee shot on the 72nd hole, Hovland seized the moment with a par on the first extra hole, the 18th.
“I didn’t hit it my best,” Hovland said. “I just played smart and conservatively. It’s fun to win one of these things without ball-striking it to death.”
As he played the 72nd hole, Hovland knew that Scottie Scheffler already had finished at 6-under, adding to the challenge. For Scheffler, who has been beaten by a total of four strokes in his past three starts, it was his 15th consecutive finish of 12th or better, dating to the fall.
For McCarthy, who was chasing his first victory, it was a disappointing result.
“I’m heartbroken right now,” said McCarthy, who holed several mid-range putts on the closing nine holes to maintain his slender advantage. “But there are a lot of positives to take from this week. I just played really well. The putter kept me in it when I was a little shaky.”
Americans Andrew Putnam (T5), Adam Schenk (T7) and Lee Hodges (T12) qualified for next month’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool via the R&A’s Open Qualifying Series.
Ron Green Jr.