Get to know young Norwegian star Viktor Hovland a little better
18 Things You Didn’t Know About Viktor Hovland
1. He was born in Oslo, Norway.
2. He began playing golf aged 11 after his father, who worked in America, brought him clubs. His dad taught him how to play and he regularly practised at an indoor driving range.
3. He learned English by watching movies, including historical dramas ‘Lincoln’ and ‘Amistad’.
4. He finished the 2019 US Open in a tie for 12th with a total of 280, the lowest score ever recorded by an amateur in the tournament’s 119-year history, beating Jack Nicklaus’ 282 total from 1960.
Hovland won the 2018 US Amateur at Pebble Beach in an incredibly successful amateur career
5. Hovland attended Oklahoma State University, just as Rickie Fowler did, where he was a teammate of fellow young star Matthew Wolff.
Related: Who Is Viktor Hovland’s Caddie?
6. In 2019 he became the first ever Norwegian to appear at The Masters, where he also became the first ever Norwegian to make the cut.
Hovland with the Silver Cup after winning the low amateur honours at the 2019 Masters
7. He won the 2018 US Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach, beating Devon Bling in the final.
Related: Viktor Hovland What’s In The Bag?
8. He turned pro as the World’s No.1-ranked amateur after winning the low amateur honours at the Masters and US Open, becoming the first man since Matt Kuchar in 1998 to achieve that feat.
9. He also won the Ben Hogan Award in 2019 and was a three-time All American at college.
10. When it comes to music, Hovland is a metal fan, with his favourite bands listed as Metallica, System of a Down and Tool.
11. The other sports he was interested in growing up were football and taekwondo.
12. In September 2019, he equalled Bob Estes’ 1983 PGA Tour record of 17 consecutive rounds in the 60s.
13. His favourite golfer growing up was Sergio Garcia.
14. His favourite European course is Valderrama.
15. He represented Norway at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
16. He became the first Norwegian to play in the Ryder Cup.
17. He was also the first Norwegian male to reach the top-10 in the Official World Golf Ranking in August 2021.
18. In 2019 he broke Bob Estes’ PGA Tour record of 17-consecutive rounds in the 60s, going two better in recording 19.
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