Viktor Hovland of Norway put an end to his mini drought.
The 25-year-old Hovland sank a seven-foot par putt on the first playoff hole to turn back Denny McCarthy and win the 48th Memorial Tournament Presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
Hovland received the trophy and traditional handshake from tournament founder and host Jack Nicklaus.
“This just feels amazing,” said Hovland, who earned his fourth PGA Tour victory and first since the 2021 World Wide Technology Championship. “I’ve been playing well and been pretty close to winning recently, but it’s great to get it done. I played my own game and came up clutch when I had to.
“I’ve played well enough to win, but came up just a little short a few times in the last few months, and I knew I could have a chance to win today, even though this is a very difficult golf course. I didn’t play my best this week, but I played smart.
“To play Jack’s golf course, complete in his tournament and then win it is just amazing.”
Hovland, who played college golf at Oklahoma State and won the 2018 U.S. Amateur, sank a 27-foot putt on the 17th hole for the last of his five birdies in a two-under-par 70 and finished with a 72-hole score of seven-under 281.
McCarthy took a one-stroke lead to the final hole of regulation, but hit a wild drive and missed a 23-foot par putt for the victory to make his first bogey of the day and also finished at 70. He also missed a 14-foot par putt in the playoff.
“I’m just gutted right now, I’m heartbroken, but I’ll get over it because I played so well and I have more of that in me,” said McCarthy, who was seeking his first PGA Tour victory after winning the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
“I played well all week and my putter kept me in it. I made a lot of clutch par saves that kept me going. I love this type of tough golf course because it brings out the best in my game. A test like this is right up my alley.
“I just came up a little short, but I’ll be back.”
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler missed out on the playoff by making his lone bogey at No. 17 in a 65, finishing one stroke back in solo third, while Si Woo Kim of South Korea struggled to 73 and was two down in solo fourth.
Andrew Putnam of Pepperdine made four birdies and two late bogeys in a 70 to finish one more down in a tie for fifth with Jordan Spieth, who holed a 68-foot chip shot for an eagle on the third hole in his 71, while third-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made six bogeys in a 75 after being tied for the lead after three rounds and was four down in a tie for seventh with Adam Schenk, who made three straight birdies on the front nine in a 71.
Eighth-ranked Matt Fitzpatrick of England made two birdies and two bogeys in a 72 and wound up five shots behind in a tie for ninth with Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, who made three birdies on the front nine in a 72, and Adam Scott of Australia, who had two birdies on each nine in a 71.
Second-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain eagled the ninth hole but struggled to a second straight 74 to tie for 16th, sixth-ranked Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State tied for 24th after another 74, and fourth-ranked Patrick Cantlay of Los Alamitos and UCLA stumbled to a 78 and tied for 30th.
Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintridge and Cal, ranked 18th, was two strokes behind in a tie for ninth entering the final round, but was forced to withdraw because of back spasms.
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