Sleeper Picks: Butterfield Bermuda Championship

NASSAU, Bahamas — Viktor Hovland won the Hero World Challenge with more excitement than he needed Sunday, clinching it with a 20-foot bogey putt on the final hole for a 3-under 69 to join tournament host Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners. Hovland took a four-shot lead at the turn when Masters champion Scottie Scheffler made double bogey on the par-5 ninth. No one got closer than two shots the rest of the way. It just didn’t feel that easy. Hovland had a two-shot lead on the 18th when his 6-iron from the slope above a bunker turned hard left and into the water. He took a penalty drop and hit a full wedge to about 20 feet for a chance to save bogey. Scheffler was in the sandy area right of the green, and his chip ran hard over the lip and settled 10 feet away, giving him a par putt to force a playoff if Hovland missed. Hovland holed the bogey putt for another trophy presentation with Woods. It was far different from a year ago, when he rallied from six shots behind. “It’s frigging nerve-wracking,” Hovland said with a smile. “You’re never that comfortable. I didn’t play that great on the back nine, but it was good enough.” Woods won in 2006 and 2007 when it was held at Sherwood Country Club. He had to withdraw this week with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, instead watching in his Sunday red shirt for some drama no one was expecting. Hovland finished at 16-under 272 and won $1 million. The victory is unofficial, but the world ranking points pushed him up three spots to No. 9. Scheffler needed to win to return to No. 1 in the world. Starting three shots behind, Scheffler holed a pitch from 30 yards short of the green on the par-5 sixth hole for eagle to reach 14-under par and momentarily tie for the lead. Hovland was in trouble off the tee, had to play a blind shot over a 20-foot high dune and then holed an 18-foot birdie putt to stay one ahead. The next hole was pivotal, the 18th notwithstanding. Scheffler’s pitch from the bottom of the fairway on the short par-4 seventh barely got onto the green and rolled into the bunker, leading to bogey. Hovland was on the edge of a bunker and chipped to 5 feet for birdie and a two-shot swing, restoring his lead to three. Scheffler’s double bogey on the ninth, which culminated with a three-putt from about 15 feet, left him five shots behind. Cameron Young made a strong bid and got within two shots at one point until he took bogey on the 16th. Xander Schauffele also made an early run until that ended with a bogey on the par-5 16th. Scheffler ran off three straight birdies through the 16th hole to get within two shots, and Hovland gave him an opening on the 18th until he closed it with the big putt. “I made it a little more exciting, I guess,” Hovland said with a smile. Scheffler’s goal was to get within one shot before the 18th. He didn’t quite reach that, but he still had a chance. “I said earlier in the week that I don’t like finishing second,” said Scheffler, a runner-up in the Bahamas for the second straight year who had his third runner-up finish this year. “It’s not a good feeling right now. But I’m proud of the fight.” Scheffler still heads into the holidays with a breakthrough year behind him — the Masters among his four PGA TOUR wins, No. 1 in the world longer than anyone else this year, the PGA TOUR player of the year. Young had a 68 and finished alone in third, followed by Schauffele (68) and Justin Thomas, who had five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine to salvage a poor start and close with 70 to finish fifth. “It’s only 20 players, but it’s the best 20 players in the world,” Hovland said. “You’ve got to play your best to win.”

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ATLANTA — Each of the top five players in the FedExCup standings is guaranteed to win the FedExCup with a victory at this week’s TOUR Championship. In addition, there are certain scenarios for winning the FedExCup should someone outside the top five win the tournament. TOUR Championship leader Tiger Woods is Nos. 2 in the projected FedExCup standings. (He is currently credited with the 2,000 points that come with a victory). Here’s a look at how each top-5 players fared during Saturday’s third round at East Lake. 1. Bryson DeChambeau, 66, T21 (projected 3rd in FedExCup): After a couple of off-kilter rounds (71-75), the FedExCup leader found something with a third-round 66 that could have been even better had he not missed a 6 ½-foot birdie try on 18. DeChambeau hit 8/14 fairways, his most accurate performance off the tee so far this week, which led to the highlight of his round: After finding the short grass off the 17th tee, he hit his 100-yard approach shot into the hole for eagle. 2. Justin Rose, 68, T2 (projected 1st): It was a bogey-bogey start for Rose, but he came back with a birdie at the par-4 third hole, then birdied the fifth and sixth to serve notice that he wouldn’t be going away quietly. He and Rory McIlroy (66) are three behind Tiger Woods (65), but it’s Rose who in the driver’s seat for the FedExCup, which he stands to win as long as he doesn’t finish outside the top five in the TOUR Championship. After hitting 9/14 fairways Saturday, Rose is second in the field in driving accuracy. His Achilles’ heel in the third round: He was 28th (of 30) in Strokes Gained: Putting. 3. Tony Finau, 67, T6 (projected 4th): Finau, who is playing in his second TOUR Championship, hit just 5/14 fairways, which is usually the kiss of death at East Lake. Still, he kept his round together with the putter, figured out an alignment issue on the back nine, and came in with a 31 for a 3-under 67. He did his media obligations and then immediately went to the range after an off-day from tee to green that could have been much worse. “Putting-wise,â€� he said, “I had my A-plus game.â€� 4. Dustin Johnson, 67, T8 (projected 5th): Johnson birdied four of his last six holes Saturday and was solid in every facet: 8/14 fairways, 12/18 greens in regulation, 28 putts and well in positive numbers in Strokes Gained: Putting. His best round of an otherwise blah week, all in all not the finish he wanted after leading the FedExCup standings for much of this season. 5. Justin Thomas, 70, T8 (projected 6th): Still at 4-under for the tournament and going in the wrong direction in the standings in his bid to become the first FedExCup champion to successfully defend his title. He doubled the par-3 15th hole and had to birdie the last two for an even-par 70. Thomas could not practice full shots coming into the tournament due to a right wrist injury, which he suffered in the last round of the BMW Championship, and is in negative numbers in Strokes Gained: Putting. Here’s a look at the top 5 in the projected standings: 1. Justin Rose (2nd in FedExCup), 2,780 projected points 2. Tiger Woods (20th in FedExCup), 2,219 projected points 3. Bryson DeChambeau (1st in FedExCup), 2,160 projected points 4. Tony Finau, (3rd in FedExCup), 1,887 projected points 5. Dustin Johnson (4th in FedExCup), 1,576 projected points

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