Viktor Hovland has been named Golfer of the Month for January presented by DP World after 55.7% of fans voted for the Norwegian star on Twitter. The 24-year-old won his first Rolex Series title at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club, after beating England’s Richard Bland in the play-off.
Viktor Hovland, January
Starting the day six shots behind overnight leader Justin Harding, the now world number four made the rounds in 32, and was barely in the board when he missed a short putt and bogeyed the 15, but he finished birdie-eagle-birdie to post a 66 and hit the target at 12 under.
Hovland then birdied in two shots on the first round of 18 and when Bland failed to get up after finding a tricky position with his second shot, it was the Ryder Cup rookie who went down. found with the famous Dallah trophy.
His victory in Dubai follows a stellar performance at the HSBC Championship Abu Dhabi, where he tied for fourth at Yas Links Abu Dhabi. His two performances in the Rolex Series, with an average of 69.50 strokes, propelled him to the top of the DP World Tour ranking.
Bland came second in the vote after his play-off defeat in Dubai. The 49-year-old nailed a long birdie putt on the final hole to secure his place in the play-off, chasing his second title on the tour after winning the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett last spring.
Despite losing in the extra holes, Bland earned the biggest check of his career. Thomas Pieters finished third in the voting after securing a one-stroke victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship thanks to his last 72 strokes. In difficult conditions at Yas Links, the Belgian prevailed after laps of 65-74-67-72, becoming the first Belgian to win a Rolex Series event and clinch his sixth DP World Tour title, 77 just days after winning his fifth Portugal Masters title.
Rafa Cabrera Bello finished second in the HSBC Championship Abu Dhabi, one stroke behind Pieters, the Spaniard being one of the few players to play under par in all four rounds of the week.
