DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 16, 2023

Viktor Hovland

Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Is an opening round of 69. Give us your verdict on that one?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, it was pretty solid basically the whole way. Made a nice birdie on No. 2 and hit a lot of good shots. I just didn't make any putts on the front nine until the ninth hole, and then I made another one on 10 and another one on 12.

I felt like I was doing pretty well and started hitting some not-so-good shots kind of coming in but I got pretty heavily penalised. I didn't hit the worst shots but I got penalised pretty heavily. The bogey on 16 and 17 hurt a little bit but it was nice to get the one back on 18.

Q. Quality approach on 18 out of the bunker. How different is your set now going into a short shot compared to a year ago?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, it's incredible. Even just the up-and-down on 1, like the shot that I hit from the bridge on 17, I could have easily, if I hit that short, comes rolling back down and it might go in the water. So it's just every time I miss a green, I'm like, okay, I can do this.

I hit the worst shot on 13, short-sided right and didn't have much room to work with. Hit a really nice kind of flop shot out of the rough and almost made it. It just turns the game completely around. If I hit a bad shot, it's not the end of the world, whereas before it would be an automatic bogey.