Viktor Hovland's Olympic roommate is jealous of the golfer, expresses wish to trade tennis for golf
Viktor Hovland's Olympic roommate, Casper Ruud, has expressed envy towards the Norwegian golfer and joked about wishing he could "trade" tennis for golf. Both Hovland and Ruud are representing Norway at the Paris Olympics in their respective sports.
Ruud recently revealed that he was envious of golfers, highlighting the amazing golf courses they get to play on. Ruud humorously added that he wishes he could trade sports and play golf one day.
"I envy the guys that are professional golfers, all the good courses they get to play on. Some nights I think, 'Oh, if I could trade [sports] for one day, I would be happy to do it,'" Ruud said (via NBC Olympics on X).
Notably, this is the fifth time in Olympic history that golf has been included in the prestigious games. Golf was first featured in the Olympics in 1900 and then in 1904. It was then canceled for the 1908 and 1920 games and returned in 2016. The 2024 Paris Olympics marks the third consecutive time that golf is included.
This year's golf field includes 60 players from various countries competing in a four-day stroke play format. The player with the lowest score at the end of the final round will win the gold medal, followed by silver and bronze for the next two.
Xander Schauffele, who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is in contention to reclaim the medal in 2024. The men's golf event at the Paris Olympics started on Thursday, August 1.
After the first two rounds, Schauffele is tied for the lead with Hideki Matsuyama and Tommy Fleetwood at 11-under. Meanwhile, Viktor Hovland has struggled with his game at the Paris Olympics.
Viktor Hovland drops 25 spots after struggling in second round at 2024 Paris Olympics
Viktor Hovland had a tough start at the 2024 Paris Olympics, struggling with his game. He shot a 70 in the first round and had more difficulty in the second round, carding a 75 and dropping 25 spots on the leaderboard. After the second round, Hovland was tied for 54th position in a field of 60 players.
He began the second round on Friday, August 2, with a double bogey on the first hole. Although he tried to recover with a birdie on the third, he followed this with back-to-back bogeys on the next two holes and another bogey on the seventh.
Hovland managed to make a birdie on the ninth and finished the day with a birdie and a bogey on the back nine, settling for a score of 75. He ended the day tied for 54th with a total score of 3-over par.
Viktor Hovland will tee off for the third round 14 strokes behind the leader. He has had a rough outing so far and will need to deliver some phenomenal play in the concluding rounds over the weekend to secure a good finish in the Olympics. The men's golf event is scheduled to conclude with the finale on Sunday, August 4.