The Ryder Cup does not get underway until Friday, but Viktor Hovland has already got the home fans going after holing out on the par-four fifth at Marco Simone. Hovland was out alongside Tyrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Ludvig Aberg to get in some last-minute practice before Thursday’s Opening Ceremony.
Unsurprisingly a large crowd were out across the Italian course to watch both the Europeans and Americans in action, and Hovland served them up a treat at the fifth. The Norwegian saw his effort with a three-wood sail towards the pin before pitching 10 feet short and eventually rolling in.
At first, Hovland was unaware of his heroics before a loud cry from the greenside galleries signalled the youngster had holed his tee shot. Quick to celebrate, his European teammate Fitzpatrick jumped on his back, before he was given a whole host of high-fives on the tee box.
It appears though that Hovland was snatched of labeling his shot a “hole-in-one”, with the Norwegian playing a second ball from the fifth tee. Second ball or not, it was quite the feat for the world No. 4 who will be hoping he can repeat something similar this week.
Hovland is playing in his second Ryder Cup, with his debut coming in Europe’s record-breaking 19-9 defeat to the United States at Whistling Straits back in 2021. Two years on, the 26-year-old believes his game is in a much better position this time around.
“Well, I felt like I played okay that week. I hit the ball well enough to get a few points,” he said on Tuesday. “We certainly met a very strong U.S. Team, and it was hard to get those points. I felt like I played okay, but I lacked the special things in the matches where you really flip the momentum around and you can build on a big putt or an up-and-down or maybe a chip-in or something like that.
“That just wasn’t there. I hit a lot of great iron shots into tough pin positions, and it was blowing. It played hard. But I just didn’t finish it off. I think this time around with all the work that I’ve done on the short game and some of the accomplishments that I’ve made in the last few tournaments and throughout the year, I feel like I’m a lot more accomplished.
“Even if I don’t have my game or I don’t hit it as well as I would have liked, I still feel like I can win or get up and down from a terrible spot. It’s not like, oh, I have to be in the perfect spot to have a chance to win the match. There’s a belief and a confidence that I can get myself out of any situation, and I think that’s a huge turnaround from last time.”
