​Dame Laura Davies believes Scottie Scheffler showed his frustration with Viktor Hovland’s pace of play when the world No. 1 headed to the next tee before the Norwegian finished his final putt on one green at the Travelers Championship. Going into the final round at TPC River Highlands, Sunday looked set to be a head-to-head duel between Scheffler and Hovland, who carried a one-shot lead.
Hovland, however, got off to a difficult start in Connecticut, making bogeys at the first and sixth holes, which left him two behind Scheffler. The American, meanwhile, was not in the strongest position to observe the finish of the hole as Hovland played deliberately over the early holes. Scheffler appeared to grow impatient, moving to the next tee while Hovland still worked on the sixth green.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Davies suggested Scheffler was irritated by his playing partner’s pace. “I genuinely think he’s taking too much time over everything. He’s overthinking it,” Davies said, noting the slow pace on the par-three’s finishing putt. “I think Scottie’s getting a little bit irritated with him because you rarely see a top pro go to the next tee. It’s kind of a message, ‘come on, buddy, let’s speed up.’”
Rich Beem agreed, praising Scheffler’s stance: “Yeah, I love it. I love Scottie saying, ‘you’re going to play at my pace, I’m not slowing down to yours’.” Beem added that while the round on Sunday can hinge on instinct after carding a 61 the day before, players often revert to technique when contending late.
The debate around Hovland’s pace of play continued to raise questions about whether AimPoint should be allowed on the PGA Tour, given his use of footwork to read greens. Some players feel AimPoint is time-consuming, while others worry it disrupts partners’ rhythms or makes a player circle the hole while not lifting the ball from the cup. Lucas Glover has previously called for AimPoint to be banned, arguing it can come off as rude.
On Sunday, Hovland appeared to wrestle with confidence on the greens, taking longer to line up several putts. The situation underscored why his putting has lagged on the PGA Tour this season, despite earlier strong play that had put him at the front of the field. It was a disappointing turn for the Norwegian, given how well he had performed to seize the lead in the early stages.