The Loop
Viktor Hovland imitates Stephen A. Smith with legendary—and completely random—answer
It's only taken Viktor Hovland about a month as a pro to establish himself as one of the PGA Tour's rising stars. And now, with one legendary—and completely random—answer in a press conference, the 21-year-old from Norway has already cemented his status as one of the game's best personalities.
During Hovland's Wednesday interview ahead of this week's John Deere Classic, he was asked about being one of the betting favorites going into the week. As someone who has asked my fair share of "what do you think about your Vegas odds?" questions to tour pros, I can tell you the answer is usually a boring, "I don't pay attention to that stuff." But young Viktor, bless his heart, managed to turn his answer into a viral moment by imitating Stephen A. Smith's trademark "Stay off the weeeeeduh" line. Have a listen:
Well played, Viktor. We're not exactly sure what prompted that line (Is Jimmy Fallon pulling another one of his pranks?), but it was sure entertaining.
Aside from being funny, the response was also somewhat fitting considering the "Stoned Rory" (McIlroy) nickname that Hovland has developed on Golf Twitter. And with all due respect to Viktor, it's a pretty damned good nickname.
Actually, Hovland was asked about his resemblance to the four-time major champ last year after winning the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach.
"I'm a little better looking," Hovland replied. Boom.
Is it too late to make an addendum to our list of the PGA Tour's "Content Kings"? This guy is good. Really good.