18 Things You Didn’t Know About Viktor Hovland

18 Things You Didn't Know About Viktor Hovland

1. He was born in Oslo, Norway.

2. His father, Harald, who became enamored with the game when he worked in the United States (St. Louis), exposed him to the game after buying a set of clubs upon his return to Norway.

3. He learned English by watching movies, including historical dramas 'Lincoln' and 'Amistad'.

4. At the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Hovland finished T-12th, the best amateur finish in 50 years, and became the first player since Matt Kuchar in 1998 to be the low amateur in both the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year. His 280 score became the lowest score by an amateur at the U.S. Open.

5. Hovland attended Oklahoma State University, just as Rickie Fowler did, where he was a teammate of fellow young professional golfer Matthew Wolff.

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.

7. He won the 2018 US Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach, beating Devon Bling in the final.

8. He turned pro as the World's No.1-ranked amateur after winning the low amateur honors 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 favorite bands listed as Metallica, System of a Down and Tool.

11. The other sports he was interested in growing up were football and taekwondo.

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12. In September 2019, he equalled Bob Estes' 1983 PGA Tour record of 17 consecutive rounds in the 60s.

13. His favorite golfer growing up was Sergio Garcia.

14. His favorite 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.