Norwegian golf star Viktor Hovland arrived at the Masters Par 3 Contest with a special someone on the bag.
Hovland appeared to ‘hard launch’ a new relationship with a mystery woman who had not been previously revealed by the 28-year-old golf star.
The pair exchanged a kiss in front of the crowd, driving Golf Twitter crazy as they reacted to the news and tried identifying the new woman in Hovland’s life.
The Ryder Cup star competed alongside fellow Team Europe members Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg on Augusta National’s scenic Par 3 course.
Fitzpatrick was joined by his wife, Katherine. Aberg, meanwhile, brought his girlfriend, Olivia Peet.
Images from Reuters identified Hovland’s new flame as Tuva Jensen, a woman from the golfer’s native Norway.
Viktor Hovland hard launched a relationship with a new woman at the Masters Par 3 contest
Hovland planted a kiss on his girlfriend, who has been identified by Reuters as Tuva Jensen
Hovland was long considered one of the most eligible bachelors on the PGA Tour for years
Hovland recorded a score of three-under par in the competition before he withdrew himself – which is a common occurrence at the lighthearted Wednesday competition.
He then let his new flame take over, showing off her golfing skills with a strong putt from a considerable distance on the final green.
As for his playing partners, Fitzpatrick finished in the top-10 at two-under-par – while Aberg finished at one-over-par before he withdrew.
Hovland’s romantic status has long been a matter of interest among golf fans for years.
Back in 2023, Hovland was the only unmarried member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team in Rome.
He poked fun at himself as he participated in a playful team photograph with the team’s spouses.
Perhaps a new relationship will bring Hovland some luck at a course that he’s struggled on in the past.
His first appearance at Augusta came in 2019 as an amateur – winning the low amateur award at The Masters by finishing tied for 32nd.
Hovland and Jensen share a hug on the ninth green at the Par 3 contest at Augusta National
Hovland will hope that his new relationship can buoy him to a good result at The Masters
Since then, he’s participated in five Masters tournaments. After finishing tied for 21st in 2021 and tied for 27th in 2022, he scored his second ever top-ten finish in a major – coming tied for seventh in 2023.
But after that, he missed the cut in 2024 and finished last year’s tournament in another tie for 21st.
So far this season, he’s only registered a single top-ten finish in six starts.
Heading into Thursday’s first round, Hovland is tied for 19th in the odds to win the tournament alongside Chris Gotterup, Russell Henley and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Hovland will tee off at 10:43am in a group with Patrick Cantlay and Alex Noren.
