Hovland continues to impress Harrington: 'It feels like he belongs'

Norway's Viktor Hovland continues to impress European captain Padraig Harrington with one stellar performance after another, increasing his chances of earning a spot on the 2020 Ryder Cup team either through points or a selection.

"It feels like he belongs, which is the biggest key to a young rookie coming out on Tour," Harrington said, according to Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard. "You know, if they look like they are caught in the headlights, they could disappear quickly, where Viktor really does look like he's here to play golf."

Hovland burst onto the scene in 2019 with a top-15 result at the U.S. Open as an amateur. After turning pro, he racked up four top-16 finishes and earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs.

After coming T-10 at last week's Military Tribute at the Greenbrier, Hovland will have a chance to impress Harrington firsthand, as the two are grouped together for Rounds 1 and 2 of the European Tour's BMW PGA Championship. Harrington's request to play with Hovland in a tournament over the next year has already been granted, according to Hoggard.

Coincidentally, this week in Europe marks the first event players will start earning points in an attempt to qualify for the 2020 Ryder Cup squad.

The Irish captain isn't the only one impressed by Hovland's play.

"Obviously you have these guys coming out, and Matt Wolff, Collin Morikawa, and Viktor, they are the three that have been talked about for a long time," Rory McIlroy said. "Matt and Collin have already won on the PGA Tour, but you could argue and say Viktor has maybe played the best golf of the three in terms of consistency and scores that he's shot."

Last week, the 22-year-old Hovland tied a PGA Tour record with his 17th consecutive round in the 60s.