Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland (born 18 September 1997) is a Norwegian professional golfer. He won the 2018 U.S. Amateur. In 2020, he won the Puerto Rico Open, becoming the first Norwegian to win on the PGA Tour.
Viktor Hovland | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Born | 18 September 1997 Oslo, Norway |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
Nationality | |
Residence | Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Career | |
College | Oklahoma State University |
Turned professional | 2019 |
Current tour(s) | PGA Tour |
Professional wins | 1 |
Highest ranking | 30 (9 August 2020)[1] (as of 16 August 2020) |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 1 |
Best results in major championships | |
Masters Tournament | T32: 2019 |
PGA Championship | T33: 2020 |
U.S. Open | T12: 2019 |
The Open Championship | DNP |
Amateur career
Hovland played college golf at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater.[2] In 2014, Hovland won the Norwegian national championships for amateurs.
Hovland won the 2018 U.S. Amateur, the first Norwegian player to do so, and earned invitations into the 2019 Masters Tournament, the 2019 U.S. Open, and the 2019 Open Championship.[3] He played in the 2018 Emirates Australian Open as an amateur, finishing tied for 13th place.[4]
Hovland was the low amateur in the 2019 Masters Tournament, finishing three under par in a tie for 32nd. With this performance he rose to number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.[5] In the 2019 U.S. Open, he finished in 12th place and was low amateur with a score of 280. This was the lowest 72-hole score by an amateur in the U.S. Open, breaking the previous record of 282, set by Jack Nicklaus in 1960.[6] He became the first player to win low amateur honors at both the Masters and U.S. Open in the same season since Matt Kuchar in 1998.
Professional career
Hovland turned professional following the 2019 U.S. Open, and made his professional debut at the 2019 Travelers Championship.[7] By doing so, he forfeited his automatic entry to the 2019 Open Championship. He signed sponsorship contracts with Ping, Audemars Piguet and J.Lindeberg.
On 25 August 2019, Hovland finished tied for second in the Albertsons Boise Open, part of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. This finish secured him a PGA Tour card for the 2019–20 season. Hovland set a PGA Tour record for most consecutive rounds in the 60s with 19 during the second round of the CJ Cup in South Korea. He claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the 2020 Puerto Rico Open.[8]
Amateur wins
- 2013 Norgescup 7, Team Norway Junior Tour 6
- 2014 Alcaidesa Winter Open, Titleist Tour 2, Norwegian Amateur Golf Championship
- 2018 Valspar Collegiate, U.S. Amateur, Royal Oaks Intercollegiate
- 2019 The Prestige
Source:[9]
Professional wins (1)
PGA Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 23 Feb 2020 | Puerto Rico Open | −20 (68-66-64-70=268) | 1 stroke |
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
Tournament | 2019 | 2020 |
---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T32LA | |
PGA Championship | T33 | |
U.S. Open | T12LA | |
The Open Championship | NT |
LA = Low amateur
"T" = tied for place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Results in World Golf Championships
Tournament | 2020 |
---|---|
Championship | |
Match Play | NT1 |
Invitational | T59 |
Champions |
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- Summer Youth Olympics (representing Norway): 2014
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2015 (tie)
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing Norway): 2016, 2017
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Norway): 2016, 2018
- Arnold Palmer Cup (representing Europe): 2017, 2018
References
- "Week 32 2020 Ending 9 Aug 2020" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 10 August, 2020. Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - "Viktor Hovland – 2017–18 Men's Golf". Oklahoma State University. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- Shedloski, Dave (19 August 2018). "Champion Hovland Displays Talent, Levity". USGA. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- "Golf Australia scores". Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- "Hovland rides magnificent Masters to world number one". World Amateur Golf Ranking. 17 April 2019.
- Schlabach, Mark (16 June 2019). "Amateur Hovland breaks Jack's U.S. Open mark". ESPN.
- Johnson, E. Michael (19 June 2019). "Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff turn pro at Travelers Championship and immediately cash in with equipment deals". Golf Digest.
- "Viktor Hovland becomes PGA Tour's first Norwegian winner". Sportsnet. Associated Press. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- "Viktor Hovland". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- "European Amateur Team Championship – European Golf Association". Retrieved 18 August 2020.
External links
- Viktor Hovland at the European Tour official site
- Viktor Hovland at the PGA Tour official site
- Viktor Hovland at the Official World Golf Ranking official site