Blunt Hovland Talks Down Early Promise At Wentworth While Mcilroy Struggles

It is difficult to quadrate Viktor Hovland’s fantabulous position connected nan Wentworth leaderboard pinch nan Norwegian’s blunt appraisal of his game. The 27-year-old claimed he deed definite shots connected nan West Course connected Friday that “hurt my soul”.

Hovland has been successful a authorities of method flux each year, pinch his driving a peculiar origin for concern. He is perfectly candid astir that, contempt rounds of 67 and 66 astatine this PGA Championship. Hovland’s adjacent commencement will travel arsenic portion of squad Europe successful nan Ryder Cup.

“It’s making nan crippled a spot much stressful than it should be,” Hovland said. “It’s conscionable frustrating arsenic a golfer erstwhile this is my game. I measurement up and I person an volition of wanting to commencement nan shot a definite tallness and commencement it near of nan target and curve it, and past nan shot starts precocious and right, complete other of what I’m trying to do. That’s conscionable frustrating. But I cognize really to play. So I’m doing nan champion I can.

“I changeable 80 astatine nan Players earlier this twelvemonth and I won nan adjacent week. I would alternatively not play nan crippled of play that measurement because that is not really I utilized to do it. Obviously I for illustration to attraction connected what I request to activity on, but astatine nan aforesaid clip I request to beryllium proud of myself that I’m still capable to travel astir present and compete aft 2 rounds erstwhile it doesn’t consciousness very good.

“I’m ace happy to beryllium wherever I’m astatine and scoring-wise, it’s unthinkable to beryllium honest. I really americium struggling disconnected nan tee and I’m conscionable trying to do immoderate I tin conscionable to put it successful nan fairway. Trying not to deed it disconnected statement and successful nan trees. But I do want to play nan crippled a small spot much stress-free.”

Hovland was acold much upbeat connected Europe’s chances astatine Bethpage arsenic they activity a uncommon triumph connected American soil. Hovland was a prima for Europe successful Rome 2 years ago, claiming 3 and a half points.

“I deliberation nan grounds speaks for itself,” Hovland added. “All nan guys person had awesome years. I deliberation what’s really cool is that we person 11 retired of nan 12 aforesaid guys [from nan past Ryder Cup] and we person nan aforesaid captain. As a team, we’re a known commodity. We cognize that this is successful.

“We don’t person to spell to Bethpage and wonderment if this is going to activity versus possibly nan American side, you know, there’s a batch of caller guys and caller captain. They possibly person immoderate much insecurities, maybe. I deliberation a spot that we person is we cognize our squad good and we cognize that it works.”

Rory McIlroy’s turbulent time saw nan Masters champion flirt pinch nan trim statement aft dropping 3 shots successful his opening 5 holes. McIlroy responded pinch 5 birdies but produced a achy double bogey astatine nan last. This each added up to a level par 72, which leaves McIlroy 8 awkward of Hovland. Shane Lowry’s aggregate is nan aforesaid arsenic McIlroy’s astatine halfway aft a 74. Jon Rahm is 4 nether pinch Robert MacIntyre astatine minus two.

More ominous successful European Ryder Cup discourse were nan struggles of Rasmus Højgaard. The Dane, who qualified for Luke Donald’s squad automatically, exited Surrey astatine 5 complete par. Marcel Siem suffered nan embarrassment of disqualification aft it emerged he played nan incorrect shot connected nan closing spread of his first round.