After playing gala golf in recent weeks, Viktor Hovland was able to lift the venerable trophy, grin in familiar style and enjoy the tribute from the Atlanta crowd. – It was children’s skiing, he jokes to Eurosport, with reference to Petter Northug’s quote from his career. – It was an absolutely incredible experience. I was in the clouds after last week, and then suddenly I had a damn good chance to win this week too. It was absolutely crazy, he continues. THE PROOF: Hovland with the trophy showing that he is the overall winner of the “World Cup”. Photo: MIKE EHRMANN / AFP He does not hide from the organizer how much the giant triumph means. – This is the result of all the hard work I have put in and the support system I have had around me. – It is surreal to experience this. I have played my best golf ever the last two weeks. It couldn’t have happened at a better time, he says and thanks everyone who had turned up to see him play. This won Hovland Helgen’s tournament was the third and last of the golf elite’s season finale, where an overall winner will be chosen. Throughout the season, players earn so-called FedEx points based on performance. Only the 70 players with the most points after the entire season are allowed to participate in the first tournament of the playoffs. Then it is filtered down to 50 players before playoff tournament number two, before it is all decided on the third and final weekend. Only 30 players were eligible to take part in this weekend’s tournament, which is organized as a hunting start. Hovland was in the fight for victory from start to finish, and on the night of Monday he went all the way to the top in the very prestigious PGA play-off. To use a term Norwegians interested in sports know well: He won the World Cup overall and was rewarded with NOK 190 million. – Falling completely in love But the victory was not won without drama. Despite the fact that Hovland went out with a lead of six strokes, it eventually became “only” three. While the Norwegian scratched his hair and realized that while he had the margins against him, his offensive competitor Xander Schauffele got to eat in. – This is tiring. It is exhausting, Eurosport’s Per Haugsrud and Henrik Bjørnstad commented live. FRIENDS TO THE END: Xander Schauffele (with his back) gave Hovland a fight to the door. Afterwards, they took it with a smile. Photo: John Bazemore / AP The Norwegian had just sunk one of several putts where he was under intense pressure from a gasping audience. They anticipated that it would be a dramatic end, but after a fantastic putt on hole 17, victory was all but assured. – What a psyche he has, shouted commentator Haugsrud. – He’s a stallion! Quite simply, added former golfer and Eurosport expert Henrik Bjørnstad. – I’m falling in love with the whole guy! I have been for a long time, he continued. It was then that the competitors, the commentators – and the Norwegian people – realized that Viktor Hovland was going to win the entire year’s PGA Tour overall. He clenched his fist, cheered and threw the ball he won with to the crowd. – A title for the big boys. The top 70 players in the world became 50 last week. Then Hovland clinched victory. At the weekend, only the top 30 played. And the best of them all was Viktor Hovland. – This is a title for the big boys; Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Now our man is one of them, said Henrik Bjørnstad. Eurosport expert Marius Thorp believes the victory will be hugely important for Norwegian golf in the bigger picture. – All children will dress like him. We have realized that it is possible to be at the top of the world earlier, with Suzann Pettersen and Henrik Bjørnstad. But we have never thought this was possible. After last weekend’s big win, Thorp was clear about the following: – We can easily compare sports, but if he wins the PGA Tour Championship overall, then, for me, Ingebrigtsen can run as fast as he wants and Haaland can score as much as he wants. And so Hovland did, despite the fact that his nearest competitor also had a great day at work. Photo: MIKE EHRMANN / AFP Nervous Schauffele was by no means giving up without a fight. – We are in the middle of an epic battle here, Haugsrud exclaimed along the way as the two elite players topped each other’s shots on every single hole. After that, a super duel began between the two best – where one was the Norwegian. Shauffele followed the Norwegian all the way in, but eventually finished five strokes behind after the Ekeberg man kept his cool, got the margins with him and sunk a number of fantastic putts. To put it in perspective: Viktor Hovland finished 11 strokes ahead of the third man. It is a rare distance in such a tough tournament. – That’s like two seconds in a 100-metre race, compared Haugsrud.
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