AR
Viktor Hovland produced a composed, bogey-free seven-under-par 65 in the third round of the 37th Hero Dubai Desert Classic, posting the joint lowest round of the day and putting himself firmly in the mix heading into the final round at Emirates Golf Club.
The Norwegian, who won this event in 2022, hit a high number of fairways to build momentum as the round progressed throughout moving day on the Majlis.
“It was very nice and steady today,” said Hovland. “I hit a lot of fairways and was able to give myself some decent looks. The front nine was a lot of hitting it to 40 or 50 feet and trying to two-putt. On the back nine, I started getting a bit more going and made a lot more putts.”
Currently ranked 14th in the Official World Golf Ranking and a two-time DP World Tour winner, Hovland has been working through recent swing changes, and while he admitted they are still settling in, the results on Saturday in the US$9 million Rolex Series event spoke volumes.
“I know I played a wonderful round of golf today,” he said. “Certainly no complaints about a bogey-free 65 out here. This place is no joke.”
Hovland explained that while the swing feels more controlled than instinctive at the moment, solid driving positions allowed him to attack when chances appeared. “It still doesn’t feel like I can stand on the tee and swing for the fences and swing loosely,” he said. “It’s a bit contrived and manufactured, and it happened to go straight today. If I get off the tee in a decent position, I can really do some damage.”
Dubai Desert Classic volunteers with 2022 winner Viktor Hovland
A member of Europe’s most recent Ryder Cup-winning team at Bethpage Black, the 28-year-old is no stranger to dramatic finishes in Dubai. Reflecting on his 2022 victory, when he overturned a six-shot deficit on Sunday and defeated Richard Bland in a play-off at the first time of asking.
“It’s not over until it’s over,” Hovland said. “On this golf course, if you’re a little bit off, you can easily shoot two, three, four over. If you get it going, you can shoot six, seven, eight under. There are massive swings out here.”
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Main Image: Michael Reaves
