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<\/p>\nWhen Europe attempt to reclaim the Ryder Cup this weekend Viktor Hovland is likely to be at the centre of the action. But while fans are imagining the Norwegian lifting the coveted trophy, he has already lived out the dreams of many golfers with an incredible road trip.<\/p>\n
World No 4 Hovland has enjoyed a stellar season, winning four titles and finishing runner-up at the PGA Championship. He was an automatic qualifier for Luke Donald’s European team and will lead the charge at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club this week.<\/p>\n
But when the 26-year-old is not competing at international golf tournaments he likes to unwind… by playing more golf. There is no better example of this, however, than when he decided to take a road trip straight after last year’s Open Championship at St Andrews.<\/p>\n
After a highly respectable four-place finish on the Old Course, Hovland made his way back home to Norway where he met up with three other friends. The quartet then got in a car and drove – for 22 hours.<\/p>\n
Their destination was a remote outpost called Gims\u00f8ya, which is part of Norway’s Lofoten Islands. It is almost unfathomable to imagine that such an isolated place 95 miles above the Arctic Circle would have a golf course, but that is why Hovland and his pals were they – to play the incredible Lofoten Links.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it was amazing,\u201d Hovland told reporters at last year’s BMW Championship. \u201cI had never been further north in Norway than Trondheim, which is about a six-hour car ride from Oslo, where I\u2019m from, and we drove 22 hours straight up north.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how they can build a golf course in such a remote area and still have the golf course be really good I thought. It was in great condition, and we didn\u2019t have the best of weather, but just to have a golf course there in the middle of nowhere, it\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n
The course has to be seen to be believed. Set out on a rocky rugged coastline, it is a golf adventurer’s paradise. In the winter there is hardly any daylight, but in the summer the sun never sets and it is during those milder months that the unique opportunity exists to play golf on the course 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n
Hanging out into the Norwegian sea, golfers can pay between \u00a340 and \u00a3125 to play a midnight round at the most picturesque of links courses you’re ever likely to come across. Even professional golfers like Hovland wanted a piece of the action.<\/p>\n
Hovland had arrived without his golf clubs which were still being sent back from The Open, but that didn’t stop him from making history with a borrowed set.<\/p>\n
Explaining the conditions that they played in, he said: \u201cSo I used my buddy\u2019s clubs, and the first day it was blowing 35, and the fairways are pretty narrow, so as soon as you miss the fairways it\u2019s just a re-tee, so I think I shot 83.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n But the next day was a different story. In better weather, Hovland notched an eagle on the first hole before going on to birdie two, eight, 11, 13, 15 and 17. He finished his bogey-free round in an eight-under par 63, setting a new course record.<\/p>\n His three friends weren’t the only ones to witness the achievement either. As word had spread about Hovland booking a tee reservation, several hundred Norwegians turned up to watch him in action, causing quite a surprise for the group teeing off in front of them.<\/p>\n Hovland will be performing in front of much bigger crowds in Rome this week, but if he can find the greens with the same kind of accuracy as he demonstrated at Lofoten Links then he should be able to put plenty of blue on the board.<\/p>\n
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