The golfer who drove over 4,000 miles across the US to play in tournaments

Whether it be “On The Road Again” by Willie Nelson or “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, compiling a playlist for a road trip is a key part of the experience.

Norwegian golfer Viktor Hovland, who has been driving between tournaments all across the US for the last few months to avoid flying during the coronavirus pandemic, has had to do the same, though his taste in road trip music was more a case of pedal to the metal.

“I listen to metal, but I listen to kind of a particular subgenre that’s called metal core,” Hovland told Shane O’Donoghue, host of CNN’s Living Golf show. “And it’s usually some kind of heavier stuff, a lot of screaming, but a lot of melodic parts and a lot of cool musicianship if you will.

“When I’m driving through the night, I’m getting pretty tired but it’s almost like I’m in a trance and I just keep my playlist going and I just get my head deep in the music and suddenly three hours fly by.”

Hovland plays a shot from a bunker on the seventh hole during the final round of the Workday Charity Open.

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Hitting the open road

Like fellow PGA Tour players Rickie Fowler and Alex Noren, Hovland is one of the many professional golfers who attended Oklahoma State University and the Norwegian still lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Following golf’s restart on June 11 after it’s enforced break because of Covid-19, the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas was the first opportunity Hovland had to get back playing competitively.

And, because of the competition’s proximity to Oklahoma, the 22-year-old concluded that driving there meant he didn’t “have to get exposed to the virus.” And from there, one road led to another.

“I was thinking I’m playing the week after that, so then I’ve got to drive back up to Oklahoma again and then catch a plane to South Carolina,” explained Hovland, whose trip has made him a bit of cult figure on the golf circuit.

“And then I was just thinking: ‘What if … I just drive to all the events?’ And I was like: ‘Oh, that could be a lot.’ But I decided not to think about it and just go and do it and enjoy the hours of podcasts and music.”

From Fort Worth, Hovland embarked on a 16-hour drive to Hilton Head, South Carolina to play in the RBC Heritage. He then stayed at the home of his caddie Shay Knight in Charleston, before the two of them traveled to Hartford, Connecticut – a 13-hour jaunt – for the Travelers Championship

A 12-hour drive to Detroit, Michigan for the Rocket Mortgage followed, before a three-hour trip to Columbus, Ohio for the Memorial Tournament. After staying there for two weeks, it took Hovland 13 hours to drive back to Stillwater.

The Norwegian’s road trip – which was roughly over 4,000 miles in length – has been a way of making the journeys a “little bit more memorable” for Hovland, although he admits he’s now going to “give myself a little break.”

“You’re so used to just packing the bags, going to the airport, going to the next stop and then just play golf. So I kind of enjoy those moments, you’re in the middle of Mississippi or Louisiana or Pennsylvania and you’re just kind of going: ‘What on earth am I doing right now?’

“So it just kind of makes it a little bit more memorable, get some life experiences and just mix it up a little bit.”

Hovland lines up a putt on the 17th green during the third round of the Workday Charity Open.

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‘It’s pretty surreal’

Born and raised in Oslo, Norway, Hovland picked up golf at the aged of four after his father Harald returned from the US – where he had been working as an engineer – with some clubs for his son to practice with.

But, for the current world No. 31, watching clips of Tiger Woods on YouTube, particularly “that chip in during the 2005 Masters on 16,” was what really “propelled” Hovland’s passion for the game.

Since relocating to the US, Hovland has gone from strength to strength, consistently breaking records along the way.

As an amateur, he won the 2018 US Amateur at Pebble Beach – the first Norwegian to do so – which earned him a spot at the Masters, US Open, and the Open Championship in 2019.

At that US Open, Hovland finished tied for 12th and, with a 4-under total of 280 over 72 holes, broke Jack Nicklaus’ US Open scoring total record of 282 for an amateur he set in 1960.

Since turning professional in 2019, Hovland became the first player from Norway to win on the PGA Tour with his victory at the Puerto Rico Open in February, 2020.

Hovland poses with the trophy after winning the Puerto Rico Open.

His success has meant that Hovland is being placed in playing groups with some of the biggest names in golf. At the current World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational he was part of the same group as 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka.

Lining up alongside these greats of the game still feels “pretty surreal,” according to Hovland.

“Growing up, I would wake up early in the morning and watch the European Tour, even the Asian Tour and then at night, I would watch the PGA Tour,” added Hovland.

“I was watching so much golf and watching all these names and then suddenly I’m hitting balls right next to them on the range and even beating them in some cases.

“So that is pretty crazy, especially up in Norway, because some spots in the United States, if you’re a member at a really good course, it’s not uncommon for a random PGA Tour player to just show up and practice.

“That never happens in Norway. So in a way you’re so detached from that as a reality. So to then to kind of be there a couple of years later being in that other reality, it’s pretty crazy.”

The seven-year-wait: Michael Thompson poses with the trophy after winning the 3M Open on July 26, 2020 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. The win was the 35-year-old's second PGA Tour event victory, 2,702 days after his first.

World No. 1: Jon Rahm of Spain plays his shot from the first tee during the final round of The Memorial Tournament on July 19, 2020 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Rahm's victory at the competition ensured the Spaniard replaced Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings. Seve Ballesteros and Rahm are the only Spaniards to hold the top ranking.

Pecking order: Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who was world No. 1 before Rahm took top spot, looks on during a practice round prior to the Players Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 10, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Tiger Woods holds the record for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 (281), as well as the most total weeks in the position with 683. McIlroy is in third place on 106 weeks.

Muscle man: Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic on July 05, 2020 at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. DeChambeau's victory comes off the back of a productive period with golf on pause during the coronavirus outbreak, which has seen him pile on muscle and reshape his entire game. He's now powered by 40 pounds of additional muscle.

Pandemic: A sign telling players about social distancing and other advice against Covid-19 is seen during practice prior to the Austrian Open at Diamond Country Club on July 08, 2020 in Atzenbrugg, Austria. Golf's European Tour had been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, before its resumption at the British Masters on July 22.

Behind closed doors: Tiger Woods walks past fans looking on from a nearby house on the 17th hole during the second round of the Memorial tournament on July 17, 2020 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Since the PGA Tour returned to action in June, there have been spectator-free tournaments in Texas, South Carolina, Connecticut and Michigan. The Memorial event was also closed to the general public.

'Very fortunate': Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates with Jack Nicklaus, Barbara Nicklaus and son Jack Nicklaus II after winning in the final round of The Memorial Tournament on July 19, 2020 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Golf legend Nicklaus announced at the tournament that he and his wife, Barbara, both tested positive for the Covid-19 virus in March. The 80-year-old, who hosted the competition, told Jim Nantz during a CBS telecast that he had dealt with a sore throat and a cough and that his wife was asymptomatic. The 18-time major champion said: "It didn't last very long, and we were very, very fortunate, very lucky. Barbara and I are both of the age that is an at-risk age."

'The Match': In May at the Medalist Golf Club in Florida, Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning faced off against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in "The Match: Champions for Charity." The goal was to raise more than $10 million for Covid-19-related causes which provide relief for frontline workers, small businesses, and those in desperate need of food as a result of the pandemic. Woods and Manning stopped a late comeback effort by Mickelson and Brady to win by one shot.

Black Lives Matter: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka take part in a moment of silence held in place of the 8:46 tee time to remember George Floyd during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 12, 2020 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Competitive return: Fast forward to July and after struggling to make the cut and troubled by persistent back problems at the Memorial tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Tiger Woods showed promise of better things to come with a battling one-under-par 71 in the third round, though he then hit a 76 in the tournament's final round.

Autumnal Augusta: The famed Masters golf tournament has earmarked November 12-15 to hold its 2020 championship. The Masters was originally slated to tee off in early April but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Majors: In April, the R&A canceled the British Open at Royal St George's due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Open will next be played at Royal St George's in 2021. A general view of play on the sixth green during day 6 of The Amateur Championship at Royal St. George on June 24, 2017 in Sandwich, England.

Surviving majors: TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, will host the PGA Championship August 6-9, while the the US Open will be held at the Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York, September 17-20. Phil Mickelson stands on the 18th green after his last putt in the final round of the 2006 US Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club on June 18, 2006 in Mamaroneck, New York. Geoff Ogilvy won the championship by one stroke.

LPGA: The LPGA Tour's last event was the Women's Australian Open in February, but it plans to resume its schedule July 31 at the Drive On Championship in Toledo, Ohio. However, the LPGA of Korea Tour did get going in May. World No. 1 Jin-young Ko of South Korea is pictured looking over a green on the 18th hole during the final round of the KIA Motors Korea Women's Open at the Bears Best CheongNa on June 21, 2020 in Incheon, South Korea.

Royal Troon: The first women's major golf championship of 2020 is the Women's British Open, which will be held -- without spectators -- at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland between August 20-23. The 123 yards par 3 eighth hole on the Old Course at Royal Troon is pictured.

Women's majors: Usually the first women's major of the year, the ANA Inspiration, was postponed until September 10-13 in Rancho Mirage, California. Jin-young Ko won the tournament in 2019. The Women's PGA Championship has been rescheduled for October 8-11 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, while the US Women's Open will be held December 10-13 in Houston.

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The road ahead

Hovland will soon be heading to San Francisco – by plane rather than car due to the estimated 31-hour drive from Oklahoma to California – to take part in the PGA Championship for the first time, which will be held August 6-9.

Although competing at the majors is a massive step up from normal PGA Tour events – “they’re more difficult tests, the courses are harder, greens are firmer and faster and the players are better” explains Hovland – the Norwegian insists he isn’t just going to make up the numbers.

“I’d say if I’m playing good with my game right now, I believe I can have a chance to win,” he said.

But ahead of the rescheduled majors and the continuation of the PGA Tour, Hovland isn’t putting unnecessary pressure on himself by setting unrealistic goals, explaining that the opportunity to improve his game is his main motivation.

“To be honest with you, I don’t really like to set a whole lot of goals. There’s a lot of things I would like to do; win a major, play the Ryder Cup and do all these great things,” he said.

Hovland plays a shot during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

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“But I take a lot more pleasure in kind of seeing my game just improve. So if I’m standing on the range and let’s say I’m working on club head speed and I am 113-114 miles an hour consistently, and I just can’t get past that point and then I’m going in the gym and I’m getting stronger, working on some technical stuff.

“And then let’s say maybe three months from now that one 113-114 is 117. And I’m just kind of getting better, that gives me that kind of sense of accomplishment and that’s kind of how I get more motivated to keep on playing and playing.

“And I take more pleasure from becoming a better golfer and then I try to do that in a tournaments, but essentially the most fun I have is just getting better at golf.”

Be it taking long driving trips or driving the ball straight and true on a golf course, Hovland’s early career success suggests he could be having a lot more fun on his sporting journey.