After a period of weak results, the Norwegian golf set Viktor Hovland (24) got a boost on the opening day of The Open.
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– It was a day where it went up and down, but I managed to finish with three birdies in a row. It was raw, says Viktor Hovland after the opening round of The Open.
The Norwegian has not quite made it to the golf course lately. Last week he missed the cut in the Scottish Open. Thursday’s opening round, however, was a big upswing.
Hovland is four strokes below par after the first round of the major tournament. It holds a currently shared fourth place, four strokes behind leader Cameron Young at −8.
Hovland scored for a birdie already on the first hole. On hole three he repeated the feat, before it became bogey on hole four. On the four consecutive holes, there were pairs, before the third birdie of the round came on hole nine.
– Of course I got off to a good start when I was two under par after three holes. Then I made a small mistake on hole four. I did not play at my best midway, but I knew that if I continued to make pairs, I would finally get a good shot, get close to the stick and then I would seize the opportunity, says Hovland.
Hovland scored for three new pairs on holes 10, 11 and 12. The hard court played several of the players a trick, and that was what happened to Hovland on hole 12 when the ball ended up in the bunker. However, Hovland kept his head cool and saved the pair.
See the bunker trouble for Hovland in the video below.
– Of course it makes you crazy there and then, but you know it’s going to happen. I hit a good shot, so there’s not much you can do about it. What matters is how you get out of the situation. Instead of going for a stupid blow in an attempt to take back what I lost, I made a good pair, says Hovland.
On hole 13, however, the Oslo man had to sign up for today’s second bogey. Then there were two new pairs, before Hovland finished strong with three straight birdies on the last three holes.
On hole 18, a short par 4 hole, he put for the eagle after hitting the green with the first shot. The green on St. Andrews, however, is slower than usual, and you could see that on the eagle putt when the ball stopped a bit before the hole. Hovland fortunately put the following putt for birdie.
- Watch The Open on Viaplay. Hovland starts its second round on Friday at 16.10.
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