Viktor Hovland just won his first PGA TOUR event of the year, but he's not one to go on a vacation and enjoy his most recent success. There's a friend who needs his support and he's more than happy to be there for him — even as a caddie.
The No. 5 golfer in the world drove 20 minutes down the road to Columbus to caddie for former Oklahoma State teammate Zach Bauchou in the U.S. Open Qualifiers. It is good to see a couple of Cowboys sticking together, especially right after Hovland's big win. While he was there for Bauchou on Monday, the 25-year-old made sure to bask in the feat the day before.
“It feels really cool to get my first win on the U.S. soil, especially at a tournament like this, where the golf course is arguably harder than most major championship golf courses we play,” Hovland said after topping the field at Muirfield Village down in Dublin, Ohio (via Doug Ferguson of Golf Channel). “It felt like a major. So, it was really cool that I was able to get it done at a place like this.”
Hovland is not underselling the major-like atmosphere that surrounded the final round of the Memorial. Legend and tournament founder Jack Nicklaus was present as usual, household names Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy were in contention and Hovland came back to stun weekend surprise Denny McCarthy in a thrilling playoff. An epic Sunday all around.
The question now, though, is if this victory is a harbinger of major title success to come for the Norwegian native. He finished in the top 10 at the Masters and tied for second at the PGA Championship a couple weeks ago. That is a lot of momentum to carry with the U.S. Open around the corner.
And yet, in the midst of the most important golf tournaments of his career, Viktor Hovland is finding time to be an excellent friend and caddie. It's good to know that the recent $3.6 million first-place purse has not changed the man.
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