In the final event with an (a) attached to his name, Viktor Hovland left his mark.
Turning in a final round of 67 at Pebble Beach on Sunday, the 21-year-old finished a 72-hole score of 280, the lowest ever by an amateur at the U.S. Open, beating Jack Nicklaus’ record at Cherry Hills 57 years ago. Nicklaus, then 22, shot a 283 to beat Arnold Palmer in a playoff.
Hovland, who won the Ben Hogan Award (given to the top college golfer in America based on both collegiate and amateur action) has now finished as the low amateur in two of this year’s first three majors.