Viktor Hovland opened up about the crowd at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open. The Norwegian golfer is playing this week on the PGA Tour.
The tournament has made headlines for fans’ behavior, and on Saturday, streamer Jack Doherty was banned by officials for his prank during the game. On Saturday, Hovland was asked about “etiquette” at the tournament this week.
“Compared to a couple years I feel like it’s a lot more tame this year,” he said. “I don’t really think it’s too crazy at all. 16 is just fun. I think to get booed every now and again or cheered for if you make a putt is completely fine. It’s fun. It’s reasonable. There is not beer all over the green. No one has made a hole-in-one yet, so not going to jinx that. I think it’s been fine. It’s nice to have. Every tournament is a little bit different. This is definitely a unique tournament and that’s not overboard, so I like it.
Viktor Hovland is playing his first event on the PGA Tour this season. He had an impressive time on the greens on Saturday and jumped 26 spots on the leaderboard to settle in a tie for 11th place.
Hideki Matsuyama, meanwhile, took the lead in the game, followed by Nicolai Højgaard, tied for second place with Maverick McNealy, Si Woo Kim, and Ryo Hisatsune.
Viktor Hovland opens up about his performance at WM Phoenix Open 2026
Viktor Hovland kick-started his campaign at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open with an opening round of 69. He carded a round of 70 to make the cut.
He started the third round at 3-under and played the third round at 6-under to settle with a total of 9-under. He teed it up on Saturday on the 10th hole and made three birdies and a bogey on the front nine and three birdies, a bogey, and an eagle on the back nine. He talked about his performance in the post-round press conference and said:
“It was very similar to be honest with you. Just a few different hole locations. There was hardly any wind when we first tee’d off and for the majority of the day was hardly any wind. I felt like it was pretty gettable, but at the same time, if you short side yourself and misses a few putts, it’s tough to shoot low. Felt like I played pretty prudent. Just the second shot where I hit it in the water on 15, that was kind of a bummer for me. Other than that about the same as the other days.”
This week also features Brooks Koepka. However, he struggled with his game and missed the cut after playing two rounds of 75 and 69. Scottie Scheffler was tied for 16th after three rounds. The tournament is scheduled to have its finale on Sunday, Feb. 8.
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