Rising star Viktor Hovland set a PGA Tour record in the opening round of the CJ Cup in South Korea Thursday when he shot a three-under par 69 — his 18th consecutive round in the 60s.
The 22-year-old Norwegian, who only turned pro earlier this year, beat the 17-round streak of Bob Estes set in 2001.
Hovland’s run began with a 64 in the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on June 30, two weeks after he broke Jack Nicklaus’s US Open amateur scoring record as he tied for 12th at four-under par.
On the PGA Tour the remarkably consistent Hovland has carded just a single round over 71 since turning professional after the US Open.
That was a 73 in the final round of his first event as a pro at the Travelers Championship.
He has played one event on the European Tour as a professional, the BMW PGA at Wentworth last month where he tied 11th with rounds of 69-69-70-70.
Yet to record a win, Hovland’s rise in 2019 has been little short of sensational.
He was an amateur ranked 1,155th in the world at the start of 2019 but came to South Korea this week inside the top 100, at a career-high 89.
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