Viktor Hovland made a triumphant return to winning ways at the Travelers Championship, but he didn’t do it alone.
Hovland defeated Scottie Scheffler in a Monday playoff to claim his first win of the season, and despite the tournament being in America, he had a host of support from the galleries.
That’s because the Norwegian fans, who are in the States for the World Cup, stopped by TPC River Highlands to support Hovland. The 28-year-old responded emphatically to this home support with by far his best performance of the season.
It’s been a disappointing year so far for the struggling Hovland, but he got a major boost from his home fans on his way to a bounce back win.
That’s something Tommy Fleetwood should take great encouragement from going into The Open Championship.
Tommy Fleetwood to get hometown boost at The Open Championship
This year’s Open Championship will be played in Fleetwood’s neck of the woods, Royal Birkdale, and the Englishman is expected to get an incredible amount of support from his home crowd.
The lid hasn’t come off the bottle like many had hoped it would for Fleetwood this season. He secured his first PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship, and with the weight off his shoulders, it was expected that Fleetwood would go on to have the best year of his career in 2026.
Instead, he’s not been in contention all year, and struggled for form during long stretches.
But watching Hovland win the Travelers should give him encouragement ahead of The Open. He’s seen what some support from the crowd can do for a player, and Fleetwood is about to get 100 times what Hovland received at Birkdale.
With his home crowd behind him, Fleetwood should feel that this is his best chance to win a major championship in his career.
Tommy Fleetwood said he’d rather win The Open at Royal Birkdale than any other tournament
This tournament holds extra significance for Fleetwood. This is the one that he wants to win more than any other golf tournament in the world.
He was once asked by Me and My Golf if he’d rather win The Masters or The Open, and he didn’t even have to think about it.
Fleetwood responded: The Open. It’s not even close. “I would rather win The Open at Birkdale than I would at St Andrews, I think, just for being at home, really. Although I’m not going to be picky on the venue.
““But yeah, The Open and then The Masters would be the second for sure. But I think it’s gotta be The Open. The Open’s just amazing, isn’t it?”
Last time Fleetwood played an Open Championship at Royal Birkdale was in 2017, and he finished T27. He’ll hope for better than that this time around.
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