Viktor Hovland, Men’s Golf, 2016-19
Top honors: 2019 National Player of the Year (Ben Hogan Award) … Led OSU to the 2018 NCAA team title … 2018 U.S. Amateur Champion … Low amateur at The Masters and at the U.S. Open in 2019 … Two-time Olympian and two-time member of Europe’s Ryder Cup team … 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year.
Additional Information: A first-team All-American in 2018 and 2019 … Honorable mention All-American in 2017 … Won the Ben Hogan Award in 2019 as the national player of the year … 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year … Low Amateur at The Masters and the U.S. Open in 2019 … 2018 U.S. Amateur Champion … A three-time All-Big 12 selection … A two-time International Palmer Cup team pick … Helped OSU to 10 team wins in 2018 capped by the NCAA Championship … Won four times individually … The Cowboys won 21 events during his three seasons … Has seven PGA Tour wins to date, including the 2023 TOUR Championship … Has a pair of European Tour wins as well as two other professional wins to his credit as well … Has twice represented Europe at the Ryder Cup, doing so in 2021 and 2023 … An Olympian in 2020 and 2024.
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Victor Havland has always been a surprise. He was a surprise for Oklahoma State golf coach Alan Bratton, who noticed him while recruiting another player. He surprised his fellow Norwegians when he put his native country on the PGA map. and he has surprised everyone by remaining in Stillwater after becoming a member of the PGA Tour. But based on his accomplishments in a career that in many ways is still just getting started, it is a little surprise that tonight Victor Havland becomes one of the youngest inductees ever into the OSU Athletics Hall of Honor. I was really lucky when I found Victor. I’d gone to the European boys team to get a good evaluation of Chris Ventura, another Norwegian player, and and kind of because of that, I saw this guy that was a couple years younger than Chris, and uh thought I saw something special, even though he was probably the fourth guy on the Norwegian national team, but I saw something special that I thought would fit in well here. And and I think I was right. It only took one semester at Oklahoma State before Havland began carving out one of the greatest careers in the history of cowboy golf. Uh as we came into the second semester and he really hit his stride. Great leader, just someone you can count on every day and that, you know, trickles down to the rest of the team. When you know you got have guys to that you can count on every day, it just takes pressure off of everyone. That was a special group and he was obviously a special part of that. Before the sun had set on his three years on campus, Havlin’s accomplishments were legendary, including helping lead the Cowboys to their 11th national team championship in 2018. That year, he finished top seven in eight spring tournaments and completed the year by winning the US amer. That national title, along with the US Amter Trophy, just set the scene for Victor Havlin’s legendary 2019 spring in Stillwater. That year, he became a two-time all-American, won the Ben Hogan Award as the nation’s top golfer, and was the Big 12 player of the year and the low amateur at both the Masters and the US Open. And throughout all of the wins, the trophies, and accolades, Victor continued to be happy away from the spotlight, surprising people. He’s just a different a different guy. He he loves to play golf. He’s very simple, you He he loves to uh spend time on his own doing what he does, but he uh you know, he’s the kind of guy that he he’ll go win a golf tournament and he’s been known to to leave a trophy behind and just just a very simple guy, but very self-deprecating and and has a has a it’s a charm to him that I think draws people to him. That time on his own has helped him to continue writing an incredible story of success since becoming a pro. He was the first player from Norway to represent Europe on a writer Cup team, the first Norwegian to compete in the Masters, and the first from his homeland to win a PGA event. He is already one of the most successful cowboys ever in the professional ranks with 11 career wins, establishing his own legacy in a program that is full of them. I actually got to go to the Masters with him, and they had the flags of all the participating nations. And I remember telling the guys we were with, I said, “Look, you know, the Norwegian flag is up there in all the years at this prestigious tournament. How cool is that that it’s because of our guy that the Norwegian flag is flying at at Augusta National for the first time?” The fourth best player on the Norwegian national team as a young golfer has blossomed into another piece of OSU golf tradition. You know, he’s as decorated as anybody we’ve had. and uh that that list of accomplishments in those three years, whether it be winning the US amer, being the Ben Hogan Award winner as the as the national player of the year, or you know, like you know, winning a national championship with the team and and one of the best if not the best team we’ve ever had here. You know, he’s uh he he was at the forefront of all of that. No matter what ground Victor breaks or how famous or successful he becomes, Stillwater and OSU continue to be his home away from home. And his connections to the Cowboy program did not end with the launch of his professional career. Yeah, what a blessing it it’s been to have him stick around. It’s it’s ultimately what we’d love every player to do. Have a great career here. Uh do everything you can to help the team succeed as you grow as an individual and then stick around. uh live here and and uh be a resource for our players. And he’s certainly done that. It’s been it’s awesome that all of our guys know him well. The fact that he still lives here in town, he plays and practices with them inspires them. And I would argue they help him as well. I think it’s helped him. He doesn’t want to lose to our guys. So, it helps him keep sharp while he’s home. So, I mean, Victor’s just a dream come true all the way around. And, uh I’m so proud to that he’s a part of our program. The surprising Victor Havland, one of college golf’s biggest success stories, a legendary cowboy, and a new member of the OSU Athletics Hall of Honor.
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Heia Viktor 🇸🇯