Victor Hovland's success could raise golf's profile in Norway

Victor Hovland of Norway. (AFP)

Dubai - Victor Hovland stands in 13th place in the current Official World Golf Ranking

By FAIRWAY VIEWS

Published: Tue 9 Feb 2021, 10:32 PM

Last updated: Tue 9 Feb 2021, 10:45 PM

The 23-year-old Norwegian golfer Victor Hovland has quietly climbed up the ladder in golf and is currently the fourth highest European player on the OWGR behind just Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy.

In addition Hovland has a few years in hand on all around him in the OWGR with the exception of Collin Morikawa who is 24.

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Last year Hovland played in the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the season ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai as well as last week’s Saudi International in his only visits to this Middle East region in his professional career to date.

Hovland finished tied sixth in the DP World Tour Championship and tied third in Saudi, that could have been even better had he not been unlucky to be on the wrong side of the draw for the first two rounds, catching both wind and rain at Royal Greens G & CC that so unbalanced the scores after 36 holes, except for Hovland.

Hovland, playing his golf primarily on the PGA Tour, became the first Norwegian to win on the PGA Tour when he won the 2020 Puerto Rican Open and followed it up with another victory at the 2020 Mayakoba Golf Classic.

A winner of the US Amateur in 2018, he boasts a stellar amateur resume having played college golf in the US at Oklahoma State University and winning his Norwegian National Golf Championship in 2014.

He turned professional after finishing an impressive 12th at the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach and was low amateur in the 2019 Masters Tournament rising to number one in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington must be keeping his eye on young Hovland who currently sits in a qualifying spot, fifth in the World Points list for the European Tour team, having had such a strong season last year.

The Ryder Cup takes place in late September at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, and it would even, perhaps now, be a surprise if Hovland was not part of the European team, either through qualification or for one of the three Captains’ picks.

Paul Casey, Tyrrell Hatton, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and others have all started the year with either victories for the first two or, at least, encouraging Desert Swings but it already looks like the Captain will have too many names and not enough places in his team.

Hovland also has his eyes set on qualification for the 2020 Olympic Men's Golf Competition at the end of July in Japan to represent his country and Hovland’s performances around the world have resulted in the inevitable rise in the profile of both golf and Hovland himself in his home country.

With the Norwegian sports audience traditionally following cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and ski-jumping, Hovland is proving a huge talent that all Norwegians should be proud of.

With around 170 golf courses in Norway, it is interesting to watch the progress of both the sport and standout individuals such as Hovland, especially through the legacy of Suzann Pettersen, despite many of the golf courses being closed in the winter for months on end.

As long as Hovland continues this impressive form of the last 18 months and seamless transition from amateur to professional level, he looks a near certainty for The 2020 Ryder Cup and it perhaps will not be too long before he is being genuinely discussed as a potential winner of Major Championships.

2021 is a big year for Victor Hovland.

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