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Viktor Hovland Makes Oakmont Look Playable With Eagle From Rough At U.S. Open

This was an exciting shot.

Madison Williams

Viktor Hovland celebrates an eagle shot.
Viktor Hovland celebrates an eagle shot. / U.S. Open/Screengrab

Oakmont Country Club is providing a lot of unfortunate highlights for golfers competing in the U.S. Open this weekend, but there have been a fair share of thrilling shots made, too.

Viktor Hovland had one of the best shots early on Friday during the second round. He landed in the rough right on the edge of the green on Hole 17 (his group started on the back nine). He chipped his shot onto the green, and the ball rolled straight into the hole for an eagle. The crowd at Oakmont erupted into cheers as the 27-year-old Norwegian had a huge smile on his face.

The craziest part about Hovland's shot, though, was the fact that Brooks Koepka, who was two groups ahead of Hovland, also holed out on Hole 17. Koepka's second shot landed in the rough by the green as well, and the two-time U.S. Open champion hit a nice shot that went straight in the hole for birdie.

Both Hovland and Koepka improved their scores to 3-under on the 17th hole.

The second round is highlighting some exciting golf on Friday.

More U.S. Open on Sports Illustrated

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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