Add The California Post on Google The cup may have looked regulation-size to everyone else at East Lake. Viktor Hovland’s confidence, however, appeared to have changed its dimensions.
CBS commentator Johnson Wagner said East Lake offered ideal conditions for a player who no longer expected to miss.
“These green complexes here at East Lake, the grass on them are perfect,” Wagner said. “So when you are rolling the rock and have as much confidence as Viktor Hovland does with that flat stick, this is the exact kind of place you want to play because you just feel like you’re never going to miss a putt.”
Wagner is convinced this confidence has made East Lake look easy to Hovland.
“I wonder what size that hole looks to him,” Wagner said. “Probably looks like an ice bucket.”
The description fit Saturday. Hovland shot a 5-under 65 to reach 15 under and take a one-stroke Tour Championship lead over Ryan Gerard. He made six birdies against one bogey, then closed birdie-birdie to move three clear of the group tied for third.
“If I can keep hitting fairways and give myself a few more looks, I think I’m pretty deadly with that putter,” Hovland told CBS’ Amanda Balionis.
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The numbers explain that deadly edge. Data Golf calculated that Hovland gained 2.12 strokes putting during the third round. He gained only 0.16 strokes tee to green, meaning nearly all of his 2.28-stroke advantage over the field came from the flat stick.
That was not a one-day spike. Data Golf estimates Hovland has averaged 2.30 strokes gained putting per round through 54 holes, compared with only 0.10 tee to green. He began the week ranked 64th on Tour in putting, gaining a modest 0.094 strokes per round.
The surge began Thursday, when he made 141 feet, 3 inches of putts during an opening 64. The total led the field and nearly doubled his season average.
Rory McIlroy was Saturday’s best putter, gaining 3.44 strokes during a 63 that returned him to contention. Hovland, however, began the round tied for the lead and sustained his putting advantage long enough to finish alone atop the leaderboard.
Scottie Scheffler remains three shots behind despite losing strokes putting Saturday, while Gerard sits one back.
Hovland’s formula is straightforward: Find more fairways, produce more chances and trust the putter that has made every target appear oversized.
The cup will return to normal eventually. Hovland only needs it to resemble an ice bucket for 18 more holes.
