Pro Golf Now
Fansided

Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff proving that they are here to stay

By Christopher O'Day

BLAINE, MINNESOTA - JULY 07: Matthew Wolff of the United States poses for a photo with the trophy after winning the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 07, 2019 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
BLAINE, MINNESOTA - JULY 07: Matthew Wolff of the United States poses for a photo with the trophy after winning the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 07, 2019 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Personally, I want to thank Oklahoma State. Thanks to them, the golf world has been treated to Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff.

Both of these guys have burst onto the scene, and have been playing incredible golf over the last few months. Viktor Hovland made his name known by showing up and making a strong push at the U.S. Open. Matthew Wolff, meanwhile, brought his funky swing down to the 3M Open and left with a win.

Viktor Hovland was the low amateur, shooting -4
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 16: Amateur Viktor Hovland of Norway celebrates with his low amateur award medal at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on June 16, 2019 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /

Viktor Hovland made the first splash of these two youngsters, making the cut at The Masters. He would then start strong and push for a top ten finish at the U.S. Open, where he broke Jack Nicklaus’ longstanding record for lowest amateur score at the major.

Hovland has been playing great in 2019, and has continued to do so ever since he made the decision to go pro at The Travelers in June. After a T-54th finish there, he has two consecutive T-13th, first at the Rocket Mortgage, and then at last weeks 3M Open.

More from Pro Golf Now

At only 21, Viktor Hovland would normally be considered the best young golfer out there. He was the 2018 U.S. Amateur champion, and won the 2018 team championship at Oklahoma State.

Unfortunately for him, there is another golfer who just turned pro as well. This one is younger, played with him at Oklahoma State on that title team, won the 2019 NCAAM individual title, and just won his first event as a pro in only his 3rd career start.

Matthew Wolff is only 20, and took home the win last week. After winning the 3M Open, he almost set the record for largest jump up the official world golf rankings. Heading into last week’s event, he was ranked 1,659th in the World. Now? He is ranked 135th. That jump of 1524 spots was the second largest of all time behind Michael Arnaud’s jump of 1529 spots last season.

These two do not look like they are going anywhere soon. What makes it even more intriguing is that they both do interesting things during their swings. Much has been made about Matthew Wolff, from how he picks his left foot up, to the odd flight path that his club head takes.

Viktor Hovland has his own quirks in his swing. He will hitch at the top of his drives, making it look like he is second guessing himself. There is no second guessing the results, as Hovland has been nailing fairways all year.

Next. 3M Open: Matthew Wolff claims thrilling victory in third pro start. dark

For anyone looking to get into golf, or looking for some young players to add into their rotation of who to root for, these two are great choices. They look like the next wave of youth golfers ready to take over, and the golf world has been put on notice.

Home/Golf News