AGE 23
LIVES Stillwater, Oklahoma
STORY Winner of two PGA Tour events, including the 2020 Mayakoba Golf Classic.
CAN’T WAIT I started playing at age 11. My father brought some clubs back to Norway from St Louis where he had been working. Growing up, I never had a specific club I really wanted. However, after going through clubfittings or when I got a club for my birthday, I was always excited. Just to get some new equipment to play with – I couldn’t wait to try it out. I couldn’t get out to play fast enough.
Driver
SPECS Ping G425 LST, 7.75°, Project X HZRDUS Black 60 shaft, 45.75 inches.
The head says 9 degrees, but I have it set at 7.75 degrees. I don’t want to spin the ball too much, so I use this low-spin version of the G425 family. The moveable weight is on the heel. My driver miss is a little leak to the right, and having the weight in the heel lets me close the head at impact better.
Fairway wood
SPECS TaylorMade SIM, 14.5°, Mitsubishi Tensei Blue AV Raw 85 TX shaft.
It’s the versatility of the club that I like. I can hit it kind of low and chasing off the tee so that I can get pretty decent distance out of it. At the same time, I can hoist it in the air. From bad lies I can be really aggressive and chomp it out of there.
Irons
SPECS Callaway X Forged UT (2), Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 X shaft; Ping i210 (4-PW), KBS Tour-V 120X shafts.
I’ve gone back and forth since turning pro. What I found is that the i210s are best for me. They give me a lot of forgiveness. I’m able to flight my irons better with them, and that’s when I tend to play my best. I have more control.
Wedges
SPECS Ping Glide 3.0 (50°, 56°), Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks (60°); KBS Tour-V 130X shafts.
I had a Glide 3.0 60-degree, but then I experimented with the Vokey and changed my chipping technique a little bit. I found that I don’t need the same grind I needed before. I also found I was a little better from 70 yards and in flighting the ball.
Putter
SPECS Ping PLD DS 72, 36 inches, 2.5° loft, Winn putter grip.
I’ve always been a bit of a Tiger fanboy and wanted to use an Anser-style putter. But I picked up a counter-balanced mallet putter at Oklahoma State University and noticed my stroke became so much better. I wasn’t pulling it as much, and my speed control was better, too. A win-win.
Line it up
I prefer less spin rather than too much, and the Pro V1 is lower-spinning than the V1x. I mark it with a simple black line. I have no awareness of where I’m aimed without it.
Loose change
The inside of my golf bag is pretty boring. There’s just a bunch of random tees, coins and perhaps a new Sharpie that I got that week. I don’t have any superstitions or things of note.
Beach boy
I won the 2018 US Amateur and was low amateur at the 2019 US Open, both at Pebble Beach. The course sets up for my fade well, especially on the holes that run along the water.
IMAGES Hovland: Dom Furore • CLUBS & coins: J.D. Cuban • PEBBLE BEACH: David Cannon/Getty Images
