Viktor Hovland may have just scooped an $18 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup, but don’t expect the 25-year-old to start showing off a collection of new sports cars or a luxury yacht over the next few months.
Not only does the new FedEx Cup champion, who held off a final-day challenge from Xander Schauffele at East Lake, now have the Ryder Cup to focus on, the 25-year-old is not one to live that kind of lifestyle.
“Obviously it's a lot of cash you're playing for. I mean, it's in the back of your mind,” said Hovland, when asked whether the huge bonus was on his mind during the season finale.
“But I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Money goes a long ways there. It's not like I'm spending money out the wazoo every week. I don't need a lot to be happy. I don't need a lot to live within my means.”
Time will tell whether the Norwegian’s swollen bank balance will tempt the young star into some lavish spending, but from what we know so far about him, he’s a fierce competitor, one who’s focused solely on winning golf tournaments.
The Memorial champion, added: “It's nice for my family to have that protection and my, you know, eventual kids, that I'll have in the future.
“It's nice to have that, but it's not something that drives me, it's not something that gives me meaning. I find meaning in other places. But obviously with how society works, money is something you need.”
Although the conclusion of the Tour Championship marks the end of the PGA Tour season, there’s still a lot to play for this year with a certain event in Rome only weeks away.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will no doubt be very impressed with Hovland’s form, and pleased too that one of his key players isn’t about to start popping champagne corks left, right and center.
Asked what his plans were after his masterclass at East Lake, Hovland said he'd get some “good dinner” and “a couple of drinks”.
“It's been a long week, and I sweated so much this week, so I'm kind of just getting ready to take it easy and just soak it all in,” he added.
Although the attention will now focus on the Ryder Cup, Hovland clearly has a lot to be excited about on an individual front.
Having finished runner-up at the PGA Championship this year, the six-time PGA Tour winner has also recorded top-12 finishes in all the other Majors, and he came close to winning the Claret Jug at St Andrews last year.
His Tiger Woods quotes following his FedEx Cup triumph reveal a lot about his mindset and where his game is at, and he’ll clearly fancy his chances of winning a first Major Championship next season.
“The game plan was trying to play as boring as possible, just trying to play like Tiger back in the day when he would post the 69 or a 70 in a Major Championship and walk away with a victory.”
