Hovland extends PGA TOUR record with 19th straight round in 60s
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Shoots 69-69 at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES to trail Thomas by seven
Viktor Hovland just keeps shooting in the 60s.
One day after he shot an opening-round 69 at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES for his 18th straight sub-70 score on the PGA TOUR, breaking Bob Estes’ long-standing record, Hovland made it 19 with his second straight 69 to reach 6 under for the tournament.
He trails leader Justin Thomas by seven.
“It’s cool,” Hovland said of his status as the new record-holder. “Obviously, I would have liked to have maybe higher finishes in the tournaments that I’ve played, but it really goes to show the consistency that I’ve had over the summer.”
Hovland, 22, grew up in Oslo, Norway, but played for Oklahoma State and turned pro after two years. He found immediate success on TOUR, parlaying sponsor exemptions into top finishes, and began his sub-70 streak with a final-round 64 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic (T13) on June 30.
He went a combined 48 under par at the 3M Open (T13), John Deere Classic (T16) and Wyndham Championship (4th), adding 12 more rounds in the 60s. He shot 68-68-68-64 at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier (T10), his only start this season prior to Korea, and broke Estes’ record with no shots to spare in the first round at Nine Bridges.
Estes, who shot his 18 straight rounds in the 60s in 2001, was more focused on winning twice that season (of four career wins on the PGA TOUR). He now plays on PGA TOUR Champions.
“I didn’t even know what the streak was at the time,” he said. “I don’t think I found out that I had the record until quite a bit later. Viktor’s playing great. I started hearing about him at Oklahoma State. He’s had a lot of really good tournaments. Records get broken.”
Hovland himself was somewhat confused about the record. That’s partly because he didn’t keep the streak going during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which was how he ultimately secured his TOUR card for this season, nor did he shoot every round in the 60s while playing in the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship in England last month.
“I didn’t really think much about it at all,” he said.
Not being official TOUR rounds, alas, they did not count against the streak.
He will go for a 20th straight round in the 60s, and try to make up ground on the leader, Thomas, in the third round of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES.
“I mean, it’s cool to kind of be a part of history,” Hovland said.