As the Valspar Championship was winding down, a question emerged.
Which star will end their winless drought: Justin Thomas or Viktor Hovland?
With four holes left, it appeared the answer would definitely be Thomas. Winless since the 2022 PGA Championship, he had a three-stroke lead over Hovland. Then, it all evaporated in 22 minutes.
The Snake Pit (Innisbrook’s final three holes) bit Thomas with a bogey on the par-4 16th, one of the hardest holes on the course. Hovland, meanwhile, made birdies on Nos. 14, 16 and 17 to jump Thomas on the leaderboard.
At the end of the 72 holes, Hovland was in the winner’s circle, hoisting his first trophy since winning the Tour Championship in August 2023. He finished at 11 under, one stroke ahead of Thomas.
“I just tried to go out there and play my game and I knew I didn’t feel super comfortable or confident,” Hovland said afterward, “but I was really patient and just tried to play really smart and I think that’s a credit kind of to myself this week is that I almost felt like I played this week like a veteran.”
MORE: Final results, payouts from the Valspar Championship
And despite faltering late, Thomas was mostly encouraged after his fourth top 10 in eight starts this season.
“I’m very, very proud of myself,” the 31-year-old said. “It sucks not winning when you’re that close and have a great chance, but I just hopefully put myself in the same position in two weeks at Augusta and finish it off better.”
Hovland, the 54-hole co-leader, played the first nine at 1 under, while Thomas, who started the day two back, was 3 under on the day making the turn.
After a birdie on No. 15, Thomas was leading by three when he hit an errant tee shot into the trees on No. 16, a 456-yard hole, and needed to chip out. He managed to escape with a bogey, but that stroke would be pivotal as Hovland, playing in the group behind, made birdie by knocking his approach to 6 feet.
22 minutes ago Viktor Hovland was 3 back.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 23, 2025
Now he's tied for the lead after making birdie on the toughest hole on the course @ValsparChamp.
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/s90NeEIQAH
On the par-3 17th, Hovland sank an 11-footer for birdie, while Thomas’s 17-foot birdie attempt brushed the edge of the cup.
“I didn’t feel like it was necessarily a stupid play (hitting driver off the tee on No. 16),” Thomas said after the final round. “I think I could have made 5 just as easily hitting a 3-wood or 5-wood. I would say it was more the putt not going in on 17 and bogeying 18 that hurts more.”
They both sliced their drives on the closing par-4, but Thomas‘s bogey gave Hovland a little more breathing room. Hovland would also card a bogey, however, that would be enough for the victory.
Hovland, who missed three straight cuts entering the Valspar, has tinkered with his swing since winning the 2023 FedExCup, and has gone through various swing coach changes in the last year. After Round 2, the 27-year-old Norwegian was just as puzzled as anyone that he was contending, admitting “I don’t have control over what I'm doing.”
Those feelings were the same nearly 48 hours later.
"It’s unbelievable to see that I could win because I honestly did not believe that I could do it this week,” Hovland told NBC.
But in the end, it didn’t matter how it felt. Hovland’s game was strong enough to track down one of the game’s greatest talents in Thomas, a two-time major champion and former world No. 1, on one of the Tour’s toughest layouts.
Now, Hovland’s a seven-time Tour winner—and the answer to the question many of the Valspar Championship’s viewers were asking themselves down the stretch.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Viktor Hovland Wins Valspar Championship As Justin Thomas Stumbles Late.
