Viktor Hovland believes he should be considered the world’s best player

According to the Official World Golf Ranking, Scottie Scheffler holds the title of the world’s best player while Viktor Hovland currently sits in fourth place.

However, after an impressive performance to close out his year, Hovland believes he deserves to be at the top of the list.

“Based on how I’ve been playing in the past few months, I truly feel like I am,” Hovland revealed during an episode of The Smylie Show.

However, the 26-year-old Norwegian acknowledges that the three players ranked ahead of him in the OWGR also deserve recognition as the number one player in the world.

“At the same time, what Scottie accomplished, along with Jon Rahm (No. 2) and Rory McIlroy (No. 3) and their consistent performances throughout the year, any one of us could be considered the best player in the world on any given week,” Hovland added. “Our true potential shines when we bring our A-game.”

Hovland, the 2018 U.S. Amateur champion, has long been regarded as one of golf’s rising stars. This year, he lived up to the high expectations by securing three victories on the Tour. He capped off the season by shooting a final round of 61 to win the BMW Championship and followed it up with the season-long FedExCup title a week later.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy displayed his skill during the first few years on Tour. However, his short game prevented him from joining the ranks of the world’s elite players. In 2022, he ranked as one of the Tour’s weakest scramblers, sitting at 191st out of 193 players.

Find out how Hovland became the complete package and a FedExCup champion

Hovland secured a five-shot victory at the Tour Championship held at East Lake.

Nevertheless, Hovland dedicated substantial time and effort to improve his short game and emerged as an average scrambler on the Tour this year. He notably enhanced his bunker play, which played a crucial role in his triumph at the Memorial Tournament in June, one of the most prestigious events on the Tour calendar.

“Honestly, improving my bunker play was a game-changing experience,” he shared. “I used to struggle so much with bunker shots. I distinctly remember playing at the Memorial this year, the tournament I won, and feeling helpless. I considered it a difficult course for me because hitting fairways and greens was a challenge. Even when I managed to hit a good shot, the bunkers would force me into a downhill lie. If you can’t cleanly strike the ball out of a bunker, the ball won’t stop on the green when you miss it.”

His breakthrough victory at the Memorial marked the beginning of a significant turning point in Hovland’s career. Now that he has achieved some of the success that many expected of him, Hovland eagerly anticipates what lies ahead, including the possibility of claiming the top spot in the world rankings.

“I’m incredibly optimistic about next year and the years to come if I can maintain my current level of play while continuously improving,” he confidently stated. “I’m pumped for what lies ahead. Of course, the other players are also performing exceptionally well.”