Viktor Hovland leads the PGA Golf Championship after the half-played tournament. He is joined by two other players at the top.

American Scottie Scheffler, ranked number two in the world, and Corey Conners (Canada) are tied with the Norwegian.

Hovland, who has a tied 30th place so far in 2021 as his best position in the PGA Championship, has some solid players behind him in the standings so far.

Hovland kicks off the third round at 8:40 p.m. Saturday night Norwegian time.

Hovland got off to a good start on day two. The Norwegian birdied the first two holes and was seeded second at this stage.

On the next hole, there was a bogey, and he fell to 4th place. After a half played round, Hovland was still in 4th place. There were pars on all holes from number four through nine, but Hovland had birdie opportunities on several of the holes.

The 25-year-old Norwegian, ranked 11th in the world, navigated and birdied both the 10th hole and the par-four final hole, where his ball came to rest a yard and a half from the hole. He produced a score of 67 strokes, three under par.

– Birdies are hard to get here, but it’s definitely nice to finish strong, Hovland said after the set.

Waiting for the sequel
– Such an ending relaxes you and makes the start of the next day a little easier. I’m definitely excited for the rest of the weekend, says the Norwegian.

Hovland have yet to win a major tournament.

“I’ve had some nice top 15 spots, but I haven’t really made a name for myself in the fight at the top,” Hovland said.

– I think it’s because I’ve been a bit young and dumb, and tried some flags that I shouldn’t really go for, even though my ball-striking feels good to me and it’s it’s easy to feel like I should go straight and get a birdie here.

– Then you hit a good shot, then you’re on the wrong side of the green and you get a bogey or a double bogey, and you just can’t do that in a major tournament.

More experience
But with more experience in his bag, Hovland, 25, feels he has what it takes to break into a major tournament and claim the biggest win of his career.

– I think so. The shot is definitely there. Putting, you know, anything can happen, but a lot of the work I’ve been doing over the last few months is starting to show a bit, Hovland said.

Hovland was in 4th place after the first day of play in New York State. He did it after an inning of 68, two strokes under par.

The PGA Championship is the second major tournament of the year.

(@NTB)