Hovland flips the script on Scheffler and takes the lead at Travelers Championship

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Viktor Hovland feels he is headed in the right direction, and Saturday at the Travelers Championship was a big test. He played alongside Scottie Scheffler on a course that features plenty of water and shots that can cause some stress.

A two-shot swing on the 18th hole — Hovland made a 6-foot birdie, Scheffler three-putted from 25 feet on the fringe for bogey — gave the Norwegian star a 6-under 64 and a one-shot lead over the world's No. 1 player.

“Just had a great time,” Hovland said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in this position. To go head-to-head against the best player in the world and pull off some great shots, it was just a lot of fun.”

The pleasant surprise was the support he had in the crowd.

Scheffler is enormously popular and the TPC Highlands had a vocal gallery. Hovland had plenty of support from a Norway contingent that drove over from Boston following a World Cup loss to France. Hovland gave them plenty of opportunity to do the “row” that has become so popular in the stadium and subway stations and wherever they gather.

Hovland knows it well. Oddly enough, it was the first time he had seen it live.

“I mean, we’re Vikings, so it’s kind of in our DNA,” Hovland said. “It’s kind of funny, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen it. I think that’s the first time we’ve ever done it, especially in the World Cup. So yeah, it took us 1,000 years to figure it out. I think it’s pretty cool.”

“Ro, ro, ro!” they chanted as Hovland approached the 18th green. “USA! USA!” came the American chants. It was good banter on a Saturday afternoon in New England, an example why partisan cheering in a World Cup year is far more palatable than a Ryder Cup year.

It was the second straight year Scheffler, whose bogey gave him a 67, fell from the top of the leaderboard going into the weekend at the TPC River Highlands, though this was no cause for alarm. A year ago, he opened with a triple bogey, shot 72 and fell nine shots behind.

This was one hole, and he was only one shot behind as Scheffler tries to win for the first time since the start to his season in the California desert.

Hovland was at 20-under 190 and gets another afternoon with Scheffler on Sunday. The next closest players were Patrick Cantlay (64) and Akshay Bhatia (67), who were five shots behind.

“This is a golf course where you can see some numbers be shot. You know, guys can shoot pretty low,” Scheffler said. “Going into tomorrow just try to execute, have a good round, and see where that puts me.”

Hovland started two shots behind and it took him four holes — three birdies — to catch Scheffler. From there, it was a bit of a pillow fight as they matched mostly pars, two birdies and one bogey to remain tied.

Scheffler regained the lead with a lob wedge to 2 feet on the 14th. Both got up-and-down from the front of the green on the reachable par-4 15th — Scheffler with a nifty chip that floated up the slope and trickled down to the pin — and exchanged pars going to the 18th.

That's where it flipped, giving Hovland the lead.

“The score is nice ... but I'm very process-driven,” Hovland said. "As soon as I find a certain feel that I can trust and it produces a pretty reliable shot shape, I know that I’m going to be able to score pretty well from there. So if I happen to shoot 2 under or 6 under or 9 under, that’s not the most important thing. As soon as I see the shots that I’m trying to hit and execute, that’s what gives me the confidence.

“Then it’s all a bonus on top being able to do it at this stage and in front of that many people.”

There was separation, but this is not a duel given the nature of this course that allows for low scoring and dynamic finishes because of the closing hole.

“The beauty of this golf course is that I think Scottie and I have separated ourselves from the rest of the field, but at the same time, 14 or 15 under is still very much in this thing if they go and shoot a very low score tomorrow,” Hovland said.

“So we still have to go out there and play very similar to what we did today,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re bringing in a lot more guys.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Scottie Scheffler, right, tees off the eighth hole during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Akshay Bhatia smiles as his caddie Joe Greiner talks to him at the first hole during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Scottie Scheffler hits at the 15th hole during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Scottie Scheffler, left, shakes hands with Viktor Hovland, right, of Norway, on the 18th green after finishing the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Viktor Hovland, of Norway, watches his shot land near the pin on the 15th green during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Croatia earned a spot in the World Cup knockout round, getting goals from Nikola Vlašić and Luka Sučić to beat Ghana 2-1 on Saturday.

Ghana had already secured advancement from the group stage for the first time since 2010.

Vlašić headed home Luka Modrić’s corner in the 83rd minute to score the winner and put Croatia back in contention after it finished third in 2022. The win means Croatia finished second behind England in Group L, with Ghana third.

Sučić scored in the 31st minute for Croatia on an absolute rocket from outside the box for his second career international goal.

Derrick Luckassen scored the equalizer that —- after a brief review — sent thousands of fans wearing yellow into a frenzy. Luckassen, brother of the Netherlands’ Brian Brobbey, found the bottom right corner in the 73rd minute to make it 1-1 and the first of the five group stage games in Philadelphia where both teams scored.

Ghana goalie Benjamin Asare briefly kept it a tie game on a diving stop off the top of his hand that sent the ball over the net but failed only a minute later to stop Vlašić.

Vlašić wagged his tongue and ran toward his teammates with outstretched arms in celebration.

Sučić helped Croatia take a 1-0 lead into halftime in a game where a couple of near misses prevented it from building a more comfortable lead. Nikola Vlašić bonked one of the posts earlier in the half, and Modric’s cross on a free kick into the box was headed over the bar by Marin Pongračić.

Ghana seemed poised to tie the game late in the half when Antoine Semenyo beat his man and fired a shot that slid across the Kentucky bluegrass and went just wide of the left post.

Semenyo was one of the few prominent attackers in this tournament to go without a goal in the first three games. He finished third in the Premier League with 17 goals last season and was one of Manchester City’s best players after it bought him from Bournemouth, yet couldn’t connect in the World up against Panama, England and even Croatia’s backline.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland have dazzled in the World Cup where every game has seemed like a showcase for the tournament’s top stars.

The good news for Semenyo is, there’s at least one more shot for him to bust through for Ghana.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Ghana's Derrick Luckassen (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring their first goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Croatia and Ghana in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Croatia's Nikola Vlasic (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Croatia and Ghana in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Croatia's Nikola Vlasic (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Croatia and Ghana in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Ghana supporters cheer after their first goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Croatia and Ghana in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Croatia's Nikola Vlasic (13) scores his side's second goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Croatia and Ghana in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)