Hovland's Fairway Finding
On Friday at East Lake Golf Club, Viktor Hovland found the fairway on 12 of 14 holes, missing only the 3rd and 12th. He carded a 66, four under par, to share the lead. When a journalist dubbed him a fairway-finding machine and inquired about his secret, Hovland confessed he was unsure, noting he had discovered something that appears to fly straight, and he is content with that.[S1]
Hovland acknowledged the inconsistency of his driving, noting he drove it awful last week and not so great the week before. He said he hasn't changed much recently but is driving better this week, so he wants to take advantage. He hopes whatever appeared Friday reappears Saturday, and if it does, he won't turn it away.[S1]
Saturday's Key Pairings
The final group on Saturday will see Hovland paired with Ryan Gerard, teeing off at 2:55 p.m. ET. Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup start at 2:43 p.m., while Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young begin at 2:31 p.m. Other notable pairings include Rory McIlroy with Si Woo Kim at 12:31 p.m. and Tommy Fleetwood with Wyndham Clark at 12:43 p.m.[S1][S2]
With half the field within five strokes of the lead, Saturday's action in Atlanta promises excitement. TV coverage starts at 1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, switching to CBS at 3 p.m. ET. Early streaming is available on ESPN+ beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET.[S1][S2]
