Top 30 Players to Watch in 2020: Viktor Hovland

A record 19 consecutive rounds in the 60s showed that Viktor Hovland is ready to attack in his official rookie season on the PGA TOUR. Hovland is among PGATOUR.COM’s top 30 players to watch entering 2020. Click here for more on all 30 players.

Insider Insights

PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Viktor Hovland in 2020.

TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill
It is easy to get caught up in hype and with Hovland, I am rolling in it. This kid appears to be the real deal, a total star in the making both on and off the golf course. Quick with a joke and a smile and just as quick with a Sharpie to give kids autographs, Hovland has a mature head on his shoulders for a 22-year-old. After turning pro following a T12 at the U.S. Open Hovland’s TOUR results last season read T54, T13, T13, T16 and 4th. He already has a top-10 this new season and has 29 rounds in the 60s in his young TOUR career. Keep an eye on this former amateur star as he continues to find his feet. 

STATS INSIDER by Sean Martin
He set a TOUR record with 18 consecutive rounds in the 60s. He saved his best for last with an impressive streak of five consecutive final rounds of 65 or lower. Hovland finished in the top 16 in eight consecutive worldwide starts, five of those on the PGA TOUR, displaying a consistency that is fueled by impressive ball-striking. He would’ve ranked second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and third in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green if he had enough rounds to qualify for the PGA TOUR’s statistical rankings. Hovland shot 65 or lower in 14% of his rounds since the start of the 2019 season, the fifth-best rate among players with at least 40 rounds. 

FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton
Among the shiny, new toys with whom we get to play as their values skyrockets. If there ever was such a thing as a lock to graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, it was the 22-year-old from Norway. He converted on the projection in just two starts in the three-event series. Since, he's rationed and balanced his schedule like a veteran. Enjoy the ride. 

EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Andrew Tursky
Hovland, who signed with Ping ahead of his professional debut at the 2019 Travelers Championship, has experimented with numerous Ping iron setups, but has since settled on iBlades. Also, he’s made a recent switch from a TaylorMade Mullen mallet putter to a Ping Wolverine H mallet putter. As of the 2019 BMW Championship, Hovland was still using TaylorMade wedges, but expect that to change at some point in 2020 as he makes the transition into a bag full of Ping clubs. 

STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte
Viktor Hovland gives J.Lindeberg a rising star as its leading man on the PGA TOUR. Seeing one of the young guns in the game strolling the fairways in the Swedish fashion house’s threads conjures memories of guys like Camilo Villegas and Aaron Baddeley revolutionizing golf fashion through JL’s bold and brash looks in the aughts. While Hovland prefers a more subtle approach compared to his predecessors, he has the opportunity to be one of the best-dressed players on TOUR in 2020. 

BEYOND THE ROPES by Helen Ross
Hovland, who is from Norway, learned English by watching historical dramas like “Lincoln” and “Armisted.” His father Harald began playing golf when he worked as an engineer in St. Louis and taught his 11-year-old son to play when he returned home. Luckily there was an indoor driving range nearby. 

By The Numbers

Strokes Gained rankings for Viktor Hovland in the 2018-19 season.