Viktor Hovland goes full Cristiano Ronaldo by TURNING DOWN gift on PGA Tour!

"I'm good" Viktor Hovland turns down sponsor gift after dominant Tour Championship victory.

28 Aug 2023

Viktor Hovland goes full Cristiano Ronaldo by TURNING DOWN gift on PGA Tour!

Viktor Hovland turned down a sponsor's gift beside the 18th green after winning the Tour Championship by five strokes to etch his name on the famous FedEx Cup for the first time in his career at East Lake.

Hovland, 25, now becomes the third youngest FedEx Cup champion of all time.

Jordan Spieth was the youngest aged 22 in 2015, followed by Justin Thomas aged 24 in 2017.

It marked Hovland's third tournament win of the PGA Tour season, and his sixth overall on the circuit.

He also now bumps himself up one spot to fourth in the world rankings.

Hovland won $18m following his Tour Championship win.

After being presented with the FedEx Cup trophy, Hovland was then also presented with a gift from Tour Championship lead sponsor Coca-Cola.

How much they all earned at the Tour Championship

A vending machine was positioned on the 18th green and Hovland was asked to pose for photos holding a bottle of coke, which had his own name on it.

Only Hovland does not drink full fat coke.

Just Coke Zero.

After the photos were taken, Hovland was asked if he would like to keep the bottle of coke for himself.

The bottle had Viktor on it.

But he politely declined.

Hovland said:

"I'm good. Only Zero, only drink Zero."

With $18m in the bank following Sunday's win, it's fair to say Hovland can afford himself a few Coke Zeros to celebrate this week.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour)

Hovland's reaction to Coca-Cola had instant Cristiano Ronaldo vibes at Euro 2020.

Some of you may remember Ronaldo pushed away the Coca-Cola bottles that were positioned in front of him ahead of his press conference before Portugal vs Hungary.

"Drink water," said Ronaldo.

WATCH HERE:

Hovland admits his latest chunk of change will not change him in the slightest as a person.

“It’s not like I’m spending money out the wazoo every week. I don’t need a lot to be happy, I don’t need a lot to live within my means. So, obviously it’s nice for my family to have that protection and my eventual kids that I’ll have in the future, it’s nice to have that. But, it’s not something that drives me, it’s not something that gives me meaning. I find meaning in other places.”

Hovland told reporters after winning the FedEx Cup that his game had been trending progressively throughout the season.

"Yeah, it's been a great year, just kind of -- I feel like I've taken a lot of steps this season, contending in more major championships, I finally won in the U.S., I won a big tournament, Jack's event, and honestly, after that I felt like I've gotten so much better and it was very pleasing to see.

"And then obviously the last couple weeks have just superceded that. It's been pretty surreal. It seems like -- obviously you dream about it, but these things happen when you don't really expect them to, so it was -- yeah, it's just awesome to be sitting here."

Take me to more golf news!