The world has converged on the United States of America for the planet’s biggest celebration of sport.
The streets of Kansas City were painted orange by the Dutch fans, and the Boston bars were drunk dry by the Scottish.
Different worlds and cultures have mixed in this melting pot, bringing an international flair to American life. And that’s extended to American sports culture, too.
The Norwegians filled MLB stadiums, and the English filled a Texas Rodeo. It’s not just football that these fans are there to watch.
And that’s given Norwegian star Viktor Hovland a huge edge at the Travelers Championship, where he’s playing on the PGA Tour.
Viktor Hovland enjoys Norwegian support at the Travelers Championship
There is very often Norwegian support on the PGA Tour. They are well-traveled fans with a number of players on the tour to root for. But this support was partially vocal during the first round of the Travelers Championship.
That’s because the Norwegians, who are playing all of their group stage games at this World Cup in the Northeast of America, took the short trip to TPC River Highlands to cheer on their countrymen.
Hovland, Kristoffer Reitan, and Nicolai Hojgaard make up the three Norwegian players in the field, and they received incredible support during their opening round of the tournament.
And they really benefited from it. Both Reitan and Hovland are in the top 10 after the opening rounds of the shooting competition. Reitan is one shot off the leading Eric Cole, and Hovland is just two back.
Hojgaard was the only one of the three not to take advantage of the support, shooting one over for the day. But by turning this event into a home game, the Norwegian fans gave their players a much-needed boost through their first 18 holes.
Viktor Hovland’s improving form
Hovland suffered a neck injury at the Ryder Cup, which ruled him out for the final day, and he hasn’t been the same player since.
He was once meant to be the next big thing after winning four times in 2024, but his 2026 season couldn’t have gone much worse.
Hovland has missed the cut at his last two major championships and has only two PGA Tour top 10s so far this season. But he is beginning to show some flashes.
A third-place finish at the Canadian Open was a positive sign, and while he missed the cut at the US Open, Hovland has looked to have rebounded well at the Travelers.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come as Hovland looks to recapture his past form.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
