Viktor Hovland is Off to Another Hot Start at RBC Heritage

Hovland fired off a 7-under 64 to take an early lead at Harbor Town.

Viktor Hovland—who held a first-round co-lead of the Masters last week—is coming out of the gates hot once again.

The 25-year-old Norwegian shot a 7-under 64 at Harbour Town, a venue with some of the tightest tee shots and smallest greens on the PGA Tour. 

The bogey-free card gave Hovland an early lead at the the RBC Heritage, the Tour's seventh designated event of the season, one shot ahead of Brian Harman who carded a 6-under 65. 

“That was really good. Hit some really nice shots starting the day but didn't make the putts. It was a little frustrating, but stayed patient and just kept on hitting great shots. Then the putter started heating up, and it felt very stress-free from there on in,” Hovland said. 

Hovland’s dialed-in putter and newly revamped short game led the way during his round on Thursday, but the Oklahoma State product couldn’t have gone low without the help of a flighted stock driver shot that he often employs at narrow golf courses like Harbour Town. Plus, he says the track suits his eye. 

“I think it's cliche to say, but it's all right there in front of you. I'm a big fan of Pete Dye golf courses. I think they're just awesome. And tree-lined golf courses, it's pretty narrow, so I can kind of hit that drive where I tee down, grip it down a little bit, and just hit like a low bullet. It's hard for me to hit a disastrous shot with that shot,” Hovland said. 

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“As soon as you start hitting drives up in the air, the wind can start to blow, and it's hard to hit it straight. But, yeah, if I keep driving it off the tee like I am, I'm going to have a lot of looks from the fairway, and also putted well today.”

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After his early run at Augusta National last week, Hovland went on to finish T7 in his fourth Masters appearance. The turnaround from the first major championship of the season to a designated event has been rather tiring for many players in the field, but Hovland is feeling refreshed after some family time and a short pause from his practice regimen. 

“I drove from Augusta to here Sunday night, and my mom was headed back home on Monday morning. So I drove her to the airport, drove back, and then just got some lunch. And then I was pretty bored, and I was actually feeling fine. So I went out and played the back nine out here kind of before it got dark,” Hovland said. “So, yeah, it was pretty peaceful. And then I had to make sure that I just got a bunch of rest.”