Viktor Hovland on PGA Championship appearance: "They pay me money!"
Viktor Hovland defended his appearance at the PGA Championship on Thursday.
Viktor Hovland was the centre of a controversial appearance at the PGA Championship during the first round on Thursday.
The Norwegian is making his fourth appearance at the major championship, his best previous finish being a tie for 30th in 2021.
He was off to a quick start at Oak Hill Country Club, shooting a 2-under par 68 Thursday that had him tied for sixth when play was suspended due to darkness.
He was three strokes back of leader, Eric Cole, who was 5-under par through 14 holes before he was forced to stop for the day.
And while Hovland was in the mix for much of the morning and the early afternoon in Rochester, New York, there was much more focus on his appearance at the tournament than on his performance.
The three-time PGA Tour winner was dressed in a bright, red and orange shirt during the first round, which caught the attention of many Twitter users.
We thought we had seen Viktor Hovland's shirt before pic.twitter.com/nqEFC6SXBG
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) May 18, 2023
It stirred up such a discussion, that a reporter even asked Hovland about his shirt after his round.
Hovland told him:
Hovland also said he's not someone who frequently wears such bright colours in his everyday life:
Here's the full clip:
Viktor doesn’t seem all that pleased with his absolutely wild shirts…
“They script me with this stuff, and they pay me money to do so, so I just show up and wear what they want me to wear.” pic.twitter.com/bXGsLGe458
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) May 18, 2023
Fans will have to wait until the afternoon Friday to see what Hovland and J. Lindeberg bring out for round two as Hovland tees off at 1:47 p.m. ET.
