Valspar Championship was held at the Copperhead Course in Innisbrook Resort in Florida. The tournament began on 20 March and concluded on 23 March and featured a total prize pool of $8.7 million, with the winner taking home 1,566,000.
Peter Malnati was the defending champion of the tournament but finished among some of the last positions. In his absence, Viktor Hovland beautifully took the opportunity to shine and made his much-needed comeback by winning the title. He defeated Justin Thomas marking his first win since the 2023 PGA Tour Championship and ended his winless streak that stretched for over a year.
His performance included making crucial birdies on two of the last three holes, and despite facing challenges earlier in the tournament, he bounced back. His victory doesn’t only build momentum for his 2025 campaign but also elevates him into the top 40 on the PGA Tour’s all-time earnings list as he took home a massive prize of $1,566,000.’
Upon his historic win, he said, “It’s still kind of sinking in. It was just really cool, I think when JT made a birdie there on 15 and he was three shots ahead, I still just felt really calm and I wasn’t really stressing even though I knew I probably had to make my putt on 14. When that went in, I just felt really, really calm there. I just hit good shots, made some putts, it was awesome.”
Viktor Hovland won in the 2023 season three times on the PGA Tour and claimed the Tour Championship and FedX Cup titles. However, he could not make the cut at three of four major championships after that. His win came in as a big relief regarding his “frustration” on not winning any major title in recent years, he said, “It’s pretty frustrating, and you start thinking things you’ve never thought before, And this game becomes infinitely more challenging, and it’s already really challenging “
“I am hard on myself, yeah. But that’s also why I’m good. If I wasn’t hard on myself, I probably wouldn’t be out here. And yeah, I know that even with terrible mechanics I can still get out here and shoot a couple of nice scores, but that can also lead to 80 shots at The Players because I just don’t have control over what I’m doing.” he added
Fans React On Viktor Hovland Winning Valspar Championship
Fans have been going crazy over his win, mentioning that he “is back”. A fan took to his X account and wrote, “Viktor is BACK,” Another fan commented on the post mentioning, “Great win for Viktor especially after his struggles over the last couple of years,”
Many other reactions include, “lets go victor never doubted you would be back so happy your back to winning ways ❤️,” and “Good to see a guy overcome those doubts. Many haven’t,” It’s safe to say that his win has not only been a relief for Viktor Hovland himself but also for is fans who have been waiting for his comeback deliberately.
Also Read: 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships: Full List Of Winners
