The European Pro golf team took a hard hit this year at the Ryder Cup. As a result of COVID cancelling it last year, it was the most anticipated golf event of the year. Europeans were sure to bring back home the trophy. However they fumbled on US soil. The 24 year old Norwiegen player offers an insightful outlook on the loss during the preview round of Shriner’s children open.
Who is Viktor Hovland?
Hovalnd comes from Oslo, Norway and has been playing golf since he was 11 years old. His father brought back a club from his working trip in the states and the rest is history. He went to play golf at Oklahoma State University and played three seasons there where he had a stella Soon he reached the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
He quickly turned pro in 2019 and didn’t disappoint. He became known for making history as the first Norwegian player to win the U.S. Amateur (2018) and the first player from Norway to compete in the Masters (2019).
His 2021 Ryder Cup performance
Hovland was the first Norwegian to represent the EU team at the Ryder Cup. Sadly, It was a quick defeat against the young golfer. In the five matches played he scored one point. His overall record was 0-3-2.
Obviously a disheartening play, but Hovland hasn’t been sulking over his poor performance. Instead he has commented on how thankful he was to even have the opportunity. “Just some great memories, just being around my teammates,” he said. “Being on that team I’m surrounded by legends of European golf the last 20, 25 years. So that was just incredible.”
Did Hovland accept this defeat?
When asked how one gets over a big loss such as that he responded with, “we got beat just by the better team and that’s how it goes sometimes. I just obviously it sucked, but I try to learn from kind of everything that happens and try to turn it into something positive” showing that Hovland can accept a loss just as well as he can accept his wins.
PGA TOUR: Shriners Children’s Open
Hopefully Hovland is keeping this humbleness, as he barely missed the cut this weekend coming in at T44. His head seems to be in the right direction and his performance just needs to catch back up. Stay focused Hovland!