Viktor Hovland is set to finish his amateur career on a high as he tees up at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
The Norwegian has already made history during his short yet impressive career and will turn to the paid ranks after the third Major of the season.
Here, we get you up to speed with all you need to know about the talented 21-year-old ahead of his amateur swansong.
1- As a 16-year-old, he played in the Norweigan Challenge at Miklagard Golf Club on the Challenge Tour and started in great fashion as he carded three under par in his first round. However, Hovland was to miss the cut by just one shot in a field which contained future European Tour winners Brandon Stone, Richard McEvoy and Haydn Porteous.
2- Hovland won his first amateur title at the Norwegian International Trophy in 2015.
3- He remained unbeaten during the 2015 Jacques Leglise Trophy, where he had a record of 3-0-1 from his four matches. The matchplay competition between Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe for resulted in the first and only tie to date, with Great Britain & Ireland retaining the title.
4- Hovland broke the course record at Estonian Golf & Country Club during the third round of the European Amateur Championship in 2016. He finished 16 under par alongside Luca Cianchetti and needed seven play-off holes to separate the pair, but the Italian came out on top.
5- The Norwegian turned down the University of Tennessee, Texas Tech University and Texas Christian University to join Oklahoma State University in September 2016.
6- The Norwegian made his European Tour debut at the Porsche European Open in Hamburg in July 2018. He once again started superbly with a four under par 68, but faded by shooting 80 in his second round to miss the cut. He, however, catch the eye with his unique driving action.
7- Hovland became the first Norwegian to qualify for the 2019 Masters Tournament following his U.S. Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach in August 2018. He won the 36-hole championship match 6&5 against Devon Bling and trailed for just one hole in his six matches as he broke the record for the fewest holes played by a champion on his way to an emphatic triumph.
8- And he did not disappoint at Augusta National as he led four amateurs into the weekend - the first time in 30 years to have happened - and claimed the Silver Cup after finishing tied for 32nd on three under par following three successive rounds of 71, finishing ahead of Alvaro Ortiz, Bling and Japan’s Takumi Kanaya.
9- His Silver Cup win resulted in Hovland becoming Number One in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has claimed an impressive four wins and 19 top ten finishes in the last two seasons.
10- The achievements continued to come as he won the Ben Hogan Award in May 2019, which is given for the top college player in the past 12 months. He became the second European to win the award following Spaniard Jon Rahm in 2015 and 2016.
