Ryder Cup captain Harrington: Hovland will 'probably' make 2020 team
Padraig Harrington liked what he saw from Norway's Viktor Hovland at the U.S. Open last week, so much so that he indicated the 21-year-old could crack Harrington's European Ryder Cup team in 2020.
"There's no way I can fully predict who's going to (qualify) in 15 months' time," Harrington said Friday on SiriusXM PGA Tour radio. "But certainly Viktor Hovland showed his colors last week. I would hope that he would take European (Tour) membership and make an effort to make the team and if he's as good as he looks, he'll probably be in that team."
Hovland broke Jack Nicklaus' record for the lowest 72-hole score by an amateur at Pebble Beach. He finished in a tie for 12th and became the first player to win low-amateur honors at the U.S. Open and Masters in the same year since Matt Kuchar in 1998.
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy gave up his No. 1 amateur ranking when he turned professional for this week's Travelers Championship. He overcame a second-round triple-bogey and birdied two of his final six holes to make the cut in his first professional start.
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