Viktor Hovland was paired with Chris Gotterup for the first round of the RBC Heritage on Thursday.
The RBC Heritage is the third Signature Event of the season, and Hovland and Gotterup will both be very keen to perform well at Harbour Town Golf Links this week.
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The 28-year-old Norwegian fired a superb opening round of seven-under-par 64 on day one while the American had to make do with a one-under-par 70.
Hovland‘s form has been incredibly inconsistent on the PGA Tour so far this season, with one top-10, four top-20s and a missed cut to his name in seven starts.
Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Gotterup has been one of the standout stars on the PGA Tour in 2026, with two wins to his name already.
While the American is completely comfortable with his swing and game in general right now, Hovland continues to overcomplicate matters.
With that in mind, his opening round at the RBC Heritage was an extremely welcome one.
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Viktor Hovland makes Chris Gotterup statement after day one of the RBC Heritage
The seven-time PGA Tour winner was clearly hugely impressed by what he saw from Chris Gotterup on Hilton Head Island on Thursday.
Hovland responded when asked about the challenge presented by the course at Harbour Town Golf Links.
“It definitely makes you uncomfortable off the tee,“ Hovland said.
“I think you’ll probably see a lot of guys go to kind of a safety shot out here. I played with Chris Gotterup today, and he obviously went to Oklahoma and likes that low ball.
Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
“He hits a lot of those low balls out here just to kind of keep it down so it doesn’t get affected by the wind but also keeps it kind of in the middle of the trees.
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“But that’s only if you’re able to put it in the fairway. You’ve still got to hit it into really small and narrow greens, and in certain positions when you miss it, you can have a very tricky up-and-down. It’s just a great golf course. It tests every part of your game.“
Viktor Hovland comments on the turning point in his season
Hovland was really happy with his ball-striking on day one of the RBC Heritage.
He was asked by reporters to pinpoint exactly when he thinks things started to change for him.
“It wasn’t today,“ Hovland admitted.
“But I’d say a couple weeks ago, like leading up to the Masters. I saw a lot of good stuff. I wouldn’t say it was exactly where I want it to yet, but just seeing progress and less and less of those big misses that I’ve been struggling with.
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“It’s kind of just been a slow and steady progress since then.“
If Thursday’s round at the RBC Heritage is anything to go by, Viktor Hovland may well be well and truly back to his very best.
And judging by his comments, he may have learned a thing or two from Chris Gotterup along the way.
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