Norway's Viktor Hovland competes in the Masters after winning the 2018 US Amateur
Who Is Viktor Hovland?
Viktor Hovland became the first ever Norweigan to appear in The Masters this year, and he also became the first ever Norweigan to make the cut.
He won the 2018 US Amateur Championship, beating Devon Bling in the final, and looks to be a star of the European and PGA Tours in the future plus a potential Ryder Cupper.
Hovland came through the 36 hole final to win the US Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach, where he also booked his ticket into the 2019 US Open and 2019 Open.
Reed and Hovland. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
He played with defending Masters champion Patrick Reed and 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson over the first 36 holes of his Augusta debut.
All three players shot one under par for two rounds.
The 21-year-old attends Oklahoma State University, just as Rickie Fowler did, hense the orange shirt in his US Amateur Championship triumph.
Viktor Hovland poses with the Havemeyer Trophy after winning the championship match for the U.S. Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach on August 19, 2018. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Oslo native has made a number of starts in professional events, with his best finish coming at the 2018 Australian Open where he finished T13th.
Other pro starts include a T40th at the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour, as well as appearances in this year’s Farmers Insurance Open, 2018’s Mayakoba Classic and the 2018 Porsche European Open.
He very nearly won the European Amateur Championship in 2016, finishing second to Italy’s Luca Cianchetti.
He has had a stellar amateur career, and prior to the US Amateur last year he has played in the Jacques Leglise Trophy, European Amateur Team Championship (twice), Eisenhower Trophy (twice) and Arnold Palmer Cup (twice).
His highest World Amateur Golf Ranking is 2nd and he competes in the Masters as the third-highest-ranked amateur in the world.
The Oslo native has four wins and 21 top 10s over the last two years in the amateur game.
Hovland gave his age away during his post-round interview on Friday, revealing that his earliest Masters memory dates back to 2013.
“Now I never really got to watch the whole Tournament, Thursday to Sunday and the last 18 holes. But kind of the most vivid memories are from when Adam Scott won last time in 2013, so that was maybe the earliest moment,” he said.
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