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LAST HOLE DECIDED: With a birdie on the 18th hole, Viktor Hovland won the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Photo: Héctor Vivas / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA
Viktor Hovland (23) fought for victory throughout the final round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic and secured the victory with a birdie on the final hole.
The victory is the largest for a Norwegian male golfer.
– I don’t feel very good in pressure situations. I was trembling towards the end. I thought I had lost it after the second shot on the 16th hole, but I made a fantastic pair there. I missed my putt on the 17th hole and knew I had to make a birdie on the 18th hole. Fortunately, it came in. I don’t feel comfortable at all in those situations, says Hovland in an interview broadcast by Eurosport and GOLFTV.
– I played very solid all day. Obviously, the beginning was very good. In the last nine, I didn’t get that close to the inning and couldn’t get off the five-meter putts I made. The bogey on the 12th hole pushed me back a bit. He knew he was still in a good position if he could birdies on the final holes. There are a lot of ups and downs, but my golf was very stable so it could have been a lot more stressful, he says after making the decisive putt:
Former golf professionals Per Haugsrud and Henrik Bjørnstad, who was the first Norwegian on the PGA Tour, commented on the Eurosport final round. Bjørnstad is deeply impressed with Hovland’s achievements.
– I think it was quite difficult to handle the cut there. Winning is beyond my understanding. You have won twice during the same calendar year. He’s a completely unique guy and combines a good head with great golf. Not many of them come, at least not from Norway, Bjørnstad tells VG.
Hovland took command early in the final round in Mexico. Midway through the game, he had risen from third place to first place, and had two strokes to the nearest rivals.
Hovland had made four birdies in his first nine holes, but on the 12th hole came the first bogey of the round after a weak chip. Hovland hit back and came close to an eagle on the back hole, but had to “settle” with a birdie. Still, he lost control of the lead after three quick birdies put Aaron Wise in the lead, but Hovland responded again with a fresh birdie on the 14th hole.
The two were thus in a split lead, 19 strokes under par, with four holes remaining for Hovland and three for Wise.
Wise had several good birdie chances on the final holes, but couldn’t improve her score. Hovland also missed a couple of good birdie opportunities, but came out on the 18th hole and last in a lead shared with a finished Wise.
So he needed a birdie on the 18th hole to secure the win, the same situation Hovland was in when he won in Puerto Rico earlier this year, and Hovland had a very good chance.
Birdieputten from about five meters sat Hovland and thus won the tournament.
For the victory, Hovland received US $ 1,296,000, equivalent to NOK 11.42 million. It also takes a leap in the world rankings, where it will now rank 15th in the world. He also jumps to third place in the FedEx Cup, with only this year’s Masters winner Dustin Johnson and this year’s US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau ahead of him.
WINNER: Viktor Hovland with the trophy after winning the tournament. Photo: Héctor Vivas / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA
Hovland became the first Norwegian to win a tournament on the PGA Tour when he won the Puerto Rico Open in February.
The tournament in Mexico is much bigger than the tournament in Puerto Rico, with more prize money, more qualifying points and a much better starting field.
Among Hovland’s competitors this week was world number three Justin Thomas, who played with Hovland for the first two days.
Hovland has been at the top of the tournament since the start of Thursday. The Norwegian opened with 67 rounds, four strokes below par, and led the tournament midway through the second round. A poor finish, however, led to a 69-shot round, two shots below par, and the Norwegian was eighth place split after two of four rounds.
The golf season can be seen on Eurosport, Dplay and GOLFTV.
On Saturday, he responded with a touchdown from his lowest round on the PGA Tour. With nine birdies and just one bogey, it was a 63-shot round, sending Hovland into third place.
The Norwegian has performed very well since the beginning of this summer, and has now made the cut in 17 tournaments in a row. Only two others have a longer row at the moment. Hovland’s games have also elevated him in the world rankings. Before this week’s tournament, he was ranked 26th in the world, making him the top-ranked male golfer in the Nordic countries. It is now jumping to 15th place in the world rankings.
