MEMPHIS — Viktor Hovland might not be done just yet.
Sixty-three was the score du jour early Friday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and Hovland set the pace, going out in the day’s first pairing and posting the seven-under-par number with eight birdies and a bogey. Soon after, Denny McCarthy and Sam Burns blazed past Hovland on the leaderboard by posting their own 63s.
Hovland’s round was a welcome sign of progress for the defending FedEx Cup champion. It marked his lowest score this year in a season with few highlights beyond his third-place finish in the PGA Championship. And while projections mean very little midway through the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Hovland moved from 57th to well inside the top 50 necessary to advance to next week’s BMW Championship at Castle Pines in Colorado.
The trick now, of course, is staying near the top of the board. After a disappointing 70 on Thursday, Hovland, 26, is more hopeful. This was a round he just had to have, both for his confidence and for his playoff prospects.
“That was a lot more fun. Yeah, eight birdies and a 63, that makes it a lot more fun,” said the Norwegian, who completed 36 holes in seven under. “My misses are getting a little bit tighter, so that's nice. It still doesn't quite feel where it's supposed to be, but it's still nice to see when things are a little bit off, I can still go out here and shoot a really good score.”
Hovland has definitely put in the time to try to unlock the secret to a swing that produced a startling run at the end of last year when he stormed to the season-long title on the PGA Tour. He hit the range early Monday and hasn’t let up. After his round on Thursday, he parked himself next to a tent that offered the only real shade, and he was there for more than an hour. He also spent extra time on the practice putting green.
He said he was in bed Thursday night by 7 p.m. CT.
The extra effort is understandable. Ranked seventh in the world, Hovland can’t defend his title if he doesn’t first advance to Colorado.
Having expressed his frustration several times this season, including on Tuesday in his pre-tournament press conference, Hovland could leave TPC Southwind Friday feeling a bit more optimistic. Funny how that works when the ball goes where it’s supposed to go.
“The most important thing, I feel like things are headed in the right direction,” Hovland said. “At least now I can hit some shots where, OK, that's the old stuff, that looks like and feels like what it used to. So that's very positive.
“We still have a little bit of extra work to do,” he added. “I felt like I had to lean on my putter maybe a little bit too much today. But I do feel like the game is becoming more and more consistent. I can kind of step up and hit the fairway, hit the green multiple holes in a row, and when you get into a rhythm like that, it becomes easier to play golf. Hopefully we can just keep going on that.”