The PGA Tour had two events this week, with cheating-ass Patrick Reed overtaking Bryson DeChambeau to win the WGC-Mexico event. Which, hey, it’s a fun event in a fun environment in Mexico City, but those two guys are, charitably, hard to like.
Instead, let’s focus on the opposite field event, the Puerto Rico Open. That’s also a fun environment, and an important event for the island, too. That tournament had an even more exciting finish, with PGA Tour rookie Viktor Hovland draining a lengthy birdie putt on 18 to avoid a playoff with Josh Teater. Hovland, a Norwegian native who played college golf at Oklahoma State. His win was the first for a Norwegian player on the PGA Tour or the European Tour, and the Norwegian call on Eurosport Norge was tremendous:
Pure joy!
Their tweet of the video is also great, especially as Google translates it to “Here Hovland decides with monster putt: – It’s the sickest!”
Her avgjør Hovland med monsterputt: – Det er det sykeste! #ESNgolfhttps://t.co/SEewo6sD3s
— Eurosport Norge (@EurosportNorge) February 23, 2020
The victory bumped Hovland from outside the top 100 in the world to 60th, and it also means he could be headed back to the Masters, where he made the cut and finished as the low amateur last year. He’s probably not done winning, either; in addition to his Masters performance Hovland finished T12 at last year’s U.S. Open as an amateur, and now he’s won in his first official season on the PGA Tour. He’s not into the Masters field yet though; he needs a win at a non-opposite field event or to be inside the top 50 in the world at the end of March, but considering his form that feels very possible.
And if he does make it, can we please put the Eurosport Norge guys in an Augusta tower?