Viktor Hovland revealed he was eager to fill a hole in his fledgling CV after posting an excellent bogey free 66 on day two of the 2021 Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
The Norwegian had landed in the tougher side of the draw at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club and was seven shots off the lead after round one.
Wind and rare rainfall greeted him on day two but he carded four birdies and no dropped shots as he looks for a maiden European Tour victory in just his 11th event.
He secured a second US PGA Tour victory in December, following it up a week later with a third place finish in the Rolex Series at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, and now he is eyeing that first win on the European Tour.
"I grew up mainly watching the European Tour when I was young I'm just remembering all the players names, guys that I don't necessarily know what they look like but I remember just watching them on TV when I was young.
"It's cool to be playing in those events myself and obviously having gotten a couple of wins in the States, I feel like that's one thing that's missing - to get a European Tour win on my résumé."
Sitting 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Hovland has his eyes on a potential Ryder Cup debut in September and he played alongside Ryder Cup veterans Ian Poulter and Danny Willett in rounds one and two.
"He's obviously a very passionate guy and it's cool to see that passion come out even though it's not a Ryder Cup," Hovland said of Poulter.
"I can just picture him and Danny Willett in that environment and I'd love to be in the same setting some day.
"We just had a very relaxed banter in the group and we just kept things fun."
For Poulter's part, he is certain Hovland will be teeing it up at Whistling Straits.
"He, 100 per cent, will be on the team and I need to make sure I'm in the team," he said. "More to the point, he will be a great addition. He's a world class golfer. He's young. He's strong.
"He's going to be the backbone of the European team for many years."
