TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 27, 2023

Viktor Hovland

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. I want to take a little bit more of a broader view on your game at the moment, the game that led you to win in such dominant fashion. You said that it's the combination of hard work, but can you be more specific on exactly what has culminated in your game for you to be able to do this today?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Well, to sum it up just throughout the year I feel like obviously short game has improved massively, course management has been a big deal, I'm not short-siding myself as much as I used to, and just handling adversity a lot better because I believe in my game and if I hit one bad shot or make one mistake it's not the end of the world. I keep pressing on, I keep making birdies, and suddenly we're back in it again.

Before, it felt like, man, I have to not give up any shots to shoot a good round of golf. Whereas, now that's not true anymore. I can hit one bad and I can get up-and-down and move on and birdie the next three and then suddenly we're right there.

So I would say those three things have been just a huge improvement this year.

Q. You're in a leadership position in your country, becoming the first Norwegian golfer to win on the PGA TOUR, now becoming the first Norwegian golfer to be a FedExCup champion. There's some Norwegian flags that have been following you around here all week. How does that feel?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Oh, it's awesome. Obviously a long ways from home and I don't get to spend much time at home. All my family and friends are there. I really cherish the time that I am home and I get to see everyone. But to see a couple of Norwegian flags out here, obviously the Discovery team from Norway is here covering the tournament, so that's really cool. Yeah, it's just really fun to think about all the support from back home.

Q. We have all been enjoying the clips of the Norwegian commentary and now how excited they get. Speaking of that leadership position, thinking ahead to Rome. You being the No. 1 player out here on the PGA TOUR is going to naturally put you in a leadership position. How excited do you feel about the prospect of Rome now, especially with your game where it is?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, very pumped. Obviously we're about a month away, so still a lot of time. But it's, I think it's going to be a really, really cool tournament this time around. It was I think still -- it's one of my favorite moments of all time just playing at Whistling Straights last time, but I think it can only go up from there this time around. So I'm super excited.