One of golf’s hottest young stars will play in Albertsons Boise Open for PGA Tour card
There have been plenty of golfers who have come to the Albertsons Boise Open with major buzz surrounding them.
Ricky Fowler made his professional debut at the Boise Open in 2009 after winning all four of his matches at the Walker Cup (the amateur version of the Ryder Cup). In 2007, Jason Day won his first Nationwide Tour event, becoming the youngest to win on any of the PGA Tour’s three tours. Day finished fifth on the money list that season to earn his PGA Tour card.
But perhaps no golfer in the 30-year history of the Boise Open has had more momentum on his side entering the tournament than Viktor Hovland this week.
For those of you watching at home, you know that Hovland received more than his fair share of TV screen time as he finished in a tie for 12th place at this year’s U.S. Open — as an amateur.
Hovland, a native of Norway, finished the tournament with a 4-under 280, breaking the amateur mark of 282 set by Jack Nicklaus in the 1960 U.S. Open.
“It’s obviously cool to perform such a thing,” Hovland told reporters afterward.
Hovland had his share of cool moments as an amateur. He won the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach in 2018. He won a team NCAA title while playing for Oklahoma State. He was the low amateur at The Masters in April with a score of 3-under.
But after his showing at the U.S. Open, Hovland decided it was time to go pro.
“I hope that … I can feed off this going into my professional career and do more things like this and be in contention of winning tournaments,” Hovland told reporters then.
So far, so good.
Hovland has finished in the top 16 or better in four of the five PGA Tour events he has played as a pro. In his most recent start, the Wyndham Championship, he finished in fourth place.
Last week, Hovland took 11th place at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, the first leg of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
It’s safe to say that Hovland is a player to watch this week at the Boise Open, which is the second leg of the Finals. Twenty-five spots on the 2019-20 PGA Tour are available to the top performers during the Finals.
Had Hovland been awarded FedExCup points for his finishes as an amateur, he already would have earned his PGA Tour card for next year.
Instead, his path goes through Boise.
“I knew going in that most likely the way I had to make my PGA Tour card was through the Korn Ferry Finals,” Hovland told reporters prior to last week’s tournament.
Through the first week of those Finals, Hovland is in position to do just that.
This week, he’ll get a chance to continue his pursuit — and Boise golf fans will surely be watching.
Hovland tees off in the first round at 8:25 a.m. Thursday.
BOISE OPEN FACTS
Golf course: Hillcrest Country Club (Par 71, 6,880 yards)
Competition days: Thursday-Sunday
Purse: $1 million (Winner: $180,000)
2018 champion: Sangmoon Bae
On Golf Channel: Thursday-Friday, 4-6 p.m.; Saturday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
THE FINALS
Boise is the second of three tournaments that make up the Korn Ferry Tour Finals (the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship kicked off the Finals last week). After the Boise Open, the players move on to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. In total, 50 PGA Tour cards will be earned through the Korn Ferry Tour: the top 25 players in the regular-season standings and the top 25 players in the Finals.
THE FIELD
This week’s field is made up of the top 75 players on the Korn Ferry Tour regular-season points list, Nos. 126 through 200 on the PGA Tour’s FedExCup points list, non-members who would have finished from 126 to 200 on the FedExCup list and players on medical exemptions.
NOTABLE PLAYERS
▪ Steve Wheatcroft (2014) and Luke Guthrie (2012) are former Boise Open champions.
▪ Scottie Scheffler sits atop the Korn Ferry Tour points list after notching a win at last week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.
▪ Stewart Cink has more than $37 million in career earnings and six wins on the PGA Tour.
▪ Hunter Mahan also has six wins on the PGA Tour. He has more than $30 million in career earnings.
▪ Want to root for a sentimental favorite? Consider Jamie Arnold. The Australian was in position to earn his first PGA Tour card last week coming down the stretch before a triple bogey at the 17th caused him to fall out of the top five. He finished tied for 11th.
TICKETS
Advance tickets can be purchased through albertsonsboiseopen.com. Prices are $15 for individual daily grounds tickets, $25 for weekly grounds tickets or $50 for individual weekly clubhouse tickets. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. Thursday through Sunday, and daily tickets may be purchased at the gate for $15.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Country artist Justin Moore will perform at 6:30 p.m. Saturday along the 18th fairway. The standing-room-only concert is free for Saturday ticket-holders.
The Idaho Statesman Junior Clinic is at 5 p.m. Wednesday on the Hillcrest driving range. It is a free event.
PARKING
Free general admission parking is available at Idaho IceWorld (7072 S. Eisenman Road). Free shuttles will take spectators to the tournament entrance and back to the parking lot. A designated Lyft/ride share pickup location will be located at the corner of Pond Street and Greenbriar Drive across from the Hillcrest Clubhouse.
NEW TOUR SPONSOR
After a seven-year run as the Web.com Tour, the PGA Tour announced in June a 10-year deal with Korn Ferry, a Los Angeles consulting firm, to become the tour’s sponsor.
Charity
The Boise Open announced Tuesday that it will provide $1.5 million to charity from the 2019 event. That brings the total to more than $25 million during the tournament’s 30-year run.
This story was originally published August 21, 2019 at 9:55 AM.