Pro Golf Now
Fansided

Genesis Invitational: Top 10 power rankings at Riviera

By Mike Randleman

February 17, 2019; Pacific Palisades, CA, USA; General view of the eighteenth green and clubhouse during the final round of the Genesis Open golf tournament at Riviera Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
February 17, 2019; Pacific Palisades, CA, USA; General view of the eighteenth green and clubhouse during the final round of the Genesis Open golf tournament at Riviera Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 11
Next
Jan 31, 2021; San Diego, California, USA; Viktor Hovland plays his shot from the 12th tee during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2021; San Diego, California, USA; Viktor Hovland plays his shot from the 12th tee during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

I envision Viktor Hovland getting the hang of Riviera pretty quickly. This is his Genesis Invitational debut, but when’s a new course stopped him from succeeding?

All he’s done since coming over from Norway was become an All-American and U.S. Amateur champ while at Oklahoma State and win twice on the PGA Tour by age 23.

His first W came in short succession after turning pro at the 2020 Puerto Rico Open. He played remarkably consistent golf leading up to that point and kept it going all year.

Hovland cashed in again in December at the Mayakoba Golf Classic with four rounds in the 60s to win by one and finish three ahead of third place.

Don’t expect him to try this when he’s in his 30s or 40s, but Hovland got on a jet and flew to Dubai the next week where he finished T-3rd against a stacked field on the European Tour.

He looked rusty in his 2021 debut at the Tournament of Champions (T-31st). That drought died quickly as the future Ryder Cupper earned T-2nd at Torrey Pines and T-6th back on the Euro Tour at the Saudi International.

With a week of rest and time to shake off the Middle East jet lag, Hovland should be primed for a course like Riviera.

He’s one of the best at combining length and accuracy off the tee and ranks seventh on the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee (.742).

Hovland is also third in sand saves (72%) and 25th in par-5 scoring (4.51). My only concern is how his short game will hold up on kikuyu. That will be what keeps him out of the winner’s circle, though my crystal ball portends a third straight top-10 for the young man.

Home/Golf Power Rankings