364 days after Viktor Hovland received the tiger trophy from Tiger Woods, the Norwegian was able to celebrate again in the Bahamas in the Hero World Challenge.

Unlike last year, where Hovland battling his way to the top after starting the day six strokes behind, this year is very different. The Norwegian has a three-stroke lead over Scottie Scheffler in second place, and it’s the two of them who play a major role this Sunday.

It was the best-starting American with two birdies and an eagle in the first six. Hovland returned with birdies of his own on the 3rd and 6th, and it became clear that one of them would walk away with a win. At one point there was only one battle between the two.

Then there are some bad holes for the Texan – to the delight of Norwegian golf fans. A bogey on the 7th and double bogey on the 9th ensured the gap was widening and looked headed for a comfortable victory for Hovland.

Despite this, Scheffler did not give up. Four birdies over the next six holes, as well as a Norwegian bogey on the 13th, kept the fight going all the way.

On the final hole there were two strokes between the two on the lead ball. Hovland’s shot ended in the water, and after going down he hit a tough putt fringe to secure victory.

Two shot hit, but in the water at 18.

Viktor Hovland keeps things interesting. pic.twitter.com/mVgjYqPUPn

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 4, 2022

– What did he do?! It looked as though he would make it as dramatic as possible, coming from Per Haugsrud in the Norwegian commentators booth as the decisive putt went in.

– We only manage one like this here per year max, he added.

Watch the decisive putt here:

American Scheffler, on the other hand, also bogeyed the final hole, and so they ended at -16 and -14 – in favor of Hovland.

– It’s so stressful! Rounding Out I think I lead with five, but you never get comfortable. It’s a small 20-player course, but in exchange it’s one of the best 20 players in the world, so you really have to play your best to win here, Hovland himself told the PGA Tour after deciding on the tournament.

Viktor Hovland is the first person to win the Hero World Challenge twice in a row since Tiger Woods in 2006 and 2007.

– That’s enough badass (to achieve what only Tiger before journ.anm did). I’m glad he hasn’t played in recent years, said the Norwegian with a twinkle in his eye about the feat.

This tournament is not counted towards the FedExCup rankings and therefore is not one of them official victory on the PGA Tour. However, it is counted in the world rankings, and it is hoped that Hovland will again be among the top ten in the world’s best golfers.

The victory also marked the end of the 2022 tournament for the Ekeberg man. As an early Christmas present, he brought with him a million dollars – about NOK 9.75 million at today’s exchange rate.

Leaderboard – Hero World Challenge

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