Hovland makes it look easy in finishing off U.S. Amateur victory at Pebble Beach

   Players as talented as Oklahoma State junior Viktor Hovland of Norway often turn pro during the break between the fall and spring portions of a college golf season.

   But Hovland has a pretty strong incentive to finish out his junior season in Stillwater because he’ll have an excused absence in the middle of next spring’s schedule to head for Augusta, Ga. and tee it up in The Masters – as long as remains an amateur.

   Hovland, No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and probably rising, earned that spot in the field for The Masters by reaching the final of the U.S. Amateur at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links this weekend.

   Sunday, Hovland finished the job, becoming the fifth Oklahoma State Cowboy to have his name inscribed on the Havemeyer Trophy with a dominant 6 and 5 victory over UCLA sophomore Devon Bling, who can also plan a trip to Magnolia Lane as part of his spring itinerary.

   Hovland had that lofty WAGR spot and he was the best player on an Oklahoma State team that was a dominant winner of the NCAA Championship on its home course, Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. this spring.

   It’s never easy to win a U.S. Amateur, Hovland just made it look that way.

   I never got around to reviewing the opening round of match play last week, but Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the WAGR did not survive.

   Two of those guys, No. 1 Braden Thornberry, a senior at Mississippi from Olive Branch, Miss., and No. 3 Collin Morikawa, a senior at California from La Canada Flintridge, Calf., were members of a U.S. team that dominated Great Britain & Ireland, 19-7, in the Walker Cup Match at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course a year ago. Morikawa went 4-0.

   Thornberry fell to Jesus Montenegro of Argentina, 2 and 1. Morikawa was ousted on the 19^th hole by Jon Augenstein, a junior at Vanderbilt from Owensboro, Ky. Anybody who saw Augenstein, as a freshman, pull out one amazing match-play win after another to help the Commodores claim their first Southeastern Conference title in the first year the SEC added a match-play layer to the championship would not be terribly surprised to see him win a big match.

   Another Vanderbilt guy, Harrison Ott, a sophomore from Brookfield, Wis., took out the No. 2 player in the WAGR, Pac-12 champion Justin Suh, a senior at Southern California from San Jose, Calif., with a 1-up decision.

   Hovland survived a second-round test against Ott with a 2 and 1 victory and proceeded to go off. He dismantled fellow Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan, 7 and 6, in the round of 16, walloped Austin Squires, a senior at Cincinnati from Union, Ky., 7 and 6, in the quarterfinals and made eight birdies in 16 holes to beat the top American left in the field, incoming Texas freshman Cole Hammer, 3 and 2.

   Hovland tied the record for fewest holes needed (104) to win the U.S. Amateur since the current format was adopted in 1979.

   “I always thought I had a pretty good vocabulary, but I’m lost for words,” Hovland told the USGA website. “It’s really special. I’ve only won once before and to win the U.S. Amateur as my second win is really cool. I just hope it’s the start of something great.”

   It looks like there’s already plenty of video out there from an early turning point in Sunday’s scheduled 36-hole final.

   With the match still all square, Hovland’s tee shot at the short par-4 fourth hole went down the embankment toward whatever body of water that is, Carmel Bay or the Pacific Ocean. Hovland carefully negotiated the side of the cliff and proceeded to get his club on the ball well enough to get it to finish two-and-a-half feet from the hole. He made the putt for birdie and won the hole.

   He rattled off wins at Nos. 8, 9 and 10 with pars and at the 11^th with a birdie and suddenly had a 5-up advantage. Bling got the deficit to 4-down by winning the 17^th and looked like he might go into the lunch break down just three when Hovland’s drive on the 18^th ended up in the Pacific Ocean.

   But Hovland got a 10-foot putt to fall to salvage par and a half and took a 4-up lead to lunch with him.

   When Bling lost the 19^th with a bogey, Hovland had a 5-up advantage again. The two then halved the next seven holes, two with birdies, before Bling took the 27^th hole with a birdie. But he was running out of holes and Hovland was playing too well to spit out that kind of lead.

   Hovland’s having a pretty nice year. He was a big part of the 11^th Oklahoma State team to be crowned NCAA champion, the Cowboys’ first since 2006. Now he can call Oklahoma State alum Rickie Fowler and start working on a starting time for a practice round at Augusta National.

   And, again if he remains an amateur, he’ll have a starting time for next summer’s U.S. Open at his new favorite golf course, the Pebble Beach Golf Links.