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PGA Tour: Viktor Hovland makes massive transfer up St. Jude leaderboard


Viktor Hovland has seemed like a shell of himself all through 2024. He missed the reduce in three of 4 majors and completed the common season ranked 57th within the FedEx Cup standings—a far cry from how he performed a 12 months in the past.

So, on condition that the highest 50 gamers qualify for subsequent week’s BMW Championship in Colorado and achieve entry into all eight Signature Occasions in 2025, Hovland wanted to show in a very good efficiency in Memphis. And to date, he has.

The 26-year-old Norwegian fired a much-needed 7-under 63 on Friday to soar up the leaderboard by almost 40 locations. He’s additionally at present projected to complete inside the highest 50.

“That was much more enjoyable,” Hovland mentioned.

“Yeah, eight birdies and a 63, that makes it much more enjoyable.”

Hovland made six of these par-breakers on the entrance 9 to exit with a gap 30. His lone dropped shot of the day got here on the difficult par-4 fifth, due to a missed tee shot that discovered the golf green bunker. However he rallied from that mistake with three consecutive birdies on the seventh, eighth, and ninth.

His two others got here on the par-5 sixteenth and par-4 seventeenth holes later within the spherical, thus wrapping up a superb day on the course.

Hovland’s 63 is the bottom rating he has shot all season on the PGA Tour. His earlier greatest got here through the third spherical of the Vacationers Championship, when he shot a 64 and finally tied for twentieth. However the stakes are a lot higher this week in Memphis.

But, Hovland isn’t letting that further stress get to him.

“It’s nonetheless the identical sport plan,” Hovland mentioned.

Viktor Hovland, PGA Tour, FedEx St. Jude Championship

Viktor Hovland on the seventh tee.
Photograph by Andy Lyons/Getty Photos

“I simply occurred to get off to a pleasant begin and journey the momentum from there.”

His putter was an enormous momentum enhance early, as Hovland finally holed 126 toes price of putts on Friday.

“I began making all the things. That was positively good. Undoubtedly hit some good method pictures, as nicely. I believe I had three or 4 tap-ins for birdie. Three of them have been early on, in order that was good,” Hovland defined.

“My misses are getting a bit of bit tighter, in order that’s good. But it surely nonetheless doesn’t fairly really feel the place it’s presupposed to be, nevertheless it’s nonetheless good to see when issues are a bit of bit off, I can nonetheless exit right here and shoot a extremely good rating.”

Little question that Hovland nonetheless has loads of work to do to regain the shape that gained him the FedEx Cup a season in the past. However he believes he’s headed in the fitting path, which is a optimistic signal for the two-time Ryder Cup star.

“At the least now I can hit some pictures the place, okay, that’s the previous stuff that appears like and appears like what it used to. In order that’s very optimistic,” Hovland added.

“Then, different pictures, I revert again to some previous habits. It’s simply sort of persevering with to work on the issues that I’m engaged on, and hopefully, I’ll see extra of the great swings once more.”

He made loads of stable swings on Friday, and if he can proceed to take action over the weekend, he could have no hassle making it to Colorado subsequent week for the BMW Championship.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. Make sure to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.



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