Fresh off his victory at TPC River Highlands, Viktor Hovland arrived at the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open carrying plenty of momentum. But while the Norwegian made a steady start with an opening-round 68 (-2), followed it with an even-par 70 and closed out the fog-delayed Moving Day with a 69 (-1), he never found the spark needed to climb the leaderboard, settling into a tie for 50th. Unsurprisingly, Hovland didn’t hide his frustration afterward during the press conference. 

“Got off to a rough start this morning,” Hovland said about Round 3. “It was hard to see the flag and where the ball was going. I actually hit some lovely shots. I just putted pretty poorly. Kind of been the whole story the whole week. [I] was able to battle back and shoot at least a respectable score, even though I feel like I’m playing way better than the score.”

Hovland’s round was a tale of two nines: a front-nine struggle (four birdies, three bogeys) followed by a flawless back nine (two more birdies, no bogeys). The early damage—particularly at the 6th and 7th—proved too much to overcome.

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Before 2026 Scottish Open, in Which Tournament Scheffler Last Missed the Cut?

2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship2023 Memorial Tournament2021 Players Championship2024 Genesis Scottish Open

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His 21-under-par at the Travelers Championship (TPC River Highlands) stands in stark contrast to his Scottish Open struggles. Naturally, the Scottish Open has been a let-down for the 28-year-old. While a potential win at the tournament might have slipped away, he has a game plan for Sunday to turn things around. 

“Just hope to do more of the same, really,” he said when asked about his game plan. “Tee-to-green has been really solid. I need to be able to make some more putts. I have basically a three-putt every single day, and the few times I’ve hit it close, I’ve missed some really short putts. So hopefully I can just get off to a nice start with the putter and ride that wave.”

For now, Hovland is drawing strength from local fan support.

Viktor Hovland shares his take on support from the Scottish crowd ahead of the World Cup match

The 8-time PGA Tour winner felt at home at The Renaissance Club, buoyed by local fans cheering for his native Norway ahead of its FIFA World Cup quarterfinal against England.

Despite the challenging day, the encouragement from Scottish spectators lifted his spirits throughout the round.

“All the Scottish people that I’ve talked to this week, they are all Norwegian this week, at least, hoping that we are going to beat England,” Viktor Hovland said. “It’s nice to have support and, honestly, really cool to see so many people out here in general. This morning, it was not the best weather, and people really show up and support. It’s been great.”

Notably, the final round of the tournament has been delayed because of persistent sea fog at the course. While Hovland might not have wanted that to happen, he is enjoying its perks.

“Hope it’s an exciting game and things go our way,” he added. “It’s been a fun World Cup for Norwegians.”

That being said, although he was disappointed with his performance on Saturday, the upcoming World Cup match and support from fans have kept his spirits high.