Viktor Hovland edges Justin Thomas at Valspar Championship after late birdie surge

Hovland surged late with two crucial birdies in a four-under 67 on Sunday to finish on 11-under-par 273 and claim his seventh career title in the US.

Thomas, the former World No 1, was chasing his first victory since lifting the 2022 PGA Championship trophy. He closed with a 66, finishing at 10-under 274.

Hovland, who entered the event on the back of three consecutive missed cuts, started the final round tied for the lead but spent much of the day trailing Thomas.

He kept himself in contention with birdies at the 11th and 14th before seizing control down the stretch. A six-foot birdie putt on the demanding par-four 16th pushed him ahead, and he extended his lead with a 12-footer at the par-three 17th.

Thomas had looked poised to end his winless streak, firing seven birdies through 15 holes, but trouble struck on the 16th, where a wayward drive into the left trees led to a bogey. After narrowly missing a birdie attempt on 17, he compounded his woes with another bogey at the 18th, slipping two shots behind Hovland.

The Norwegian made his own misstep with a closing bogey at 18 after finding the right rough off the tee, but his earlier charge proved to be enough to secure the win.

"It's still kind of sinking in," said Hovland.

"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 stressed. (I) just hit good shots and made some putts and it was awesome.

"It's unbelievable to see that I could win because I honestly did not believe that I could do it this week," he added.

As for Thomas, he had shown promising form this season with three top-10 finishes - including a runner-up finish at The American Express. He also tied the TPC Sawgrass course record with a blistering 62 in the second round of The Players Championship and was pleased to have put himself in contention after barely making the cut on Friday.

"That was a blast," he said. "I've had plenty of chances this year but nothing quite like that.

"He birdied 16, 17. Obviously I made it a lot easier on him but yeah, it's fun. It's really hard but really fun trying to win golf tournaments."