The Ryder Cup hero believes he is currently the best player in the world.
Despite currently holding the fourth-place ranking in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), Viktor Hovland believes he is the best player in the world.
During his appearance on this week’s episode of The Smylie Show, hosted by former PGA Tour player and current on-course golf analyst Smylie Kaufman, Hovland, 26, expressed his feelings.
The 2023 FedEx Cup champion currently sits behind three players in the world: Jon Rahm (third), Rory McIlroy (second) and Scottie Scheffler (first).
When pressed by Kaufman as to who he considers the best player in the world right now, Hovland was adamant it was himself.
Hovland said:
“Based on my performance over the past few months, I think I am.”
But the European Ryder Cup player acknowledged that the three people formally in front of him also deserved this kind of recognition.
“Yet, given what Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy have done this year and how consistently they have played, I believe any of us could be the best player in the world at any given week.”
To what extent is that relevant? When we give it our all, we’re all really, really good.”
Hovland ended his 2023 PGA Tour season with back-to-back victories at the BMW Championship followed by taking the season-ending Tour Championship by five strokes to win the season-long FedEx Cup for the first time in his career.
He then proved a major thorn in the United States Ryder Cup team by taking 3.5 points from a possible five as Europe ran out 16.5-11.5 victors in Rome.
Hovland and Scheffler both have six PGA Tour victories to their credit.
McIlroy has 24 victories on the PGA Tour, compared to Rahm’s 11 wins.
Scheffler has won one Masters title, but Hovland has not yet claimed a major championship.
McIlroy has four major victories, while Rahm has two.
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