"I don't really pay attention" - Viktor Hovland opens up on fellow Norwegian star Erling Haaland making headlines

Viktor Hovland has been in sensational form in the ongoing 2023 PGA Championship. He currently stands at T2 rank on the leaderboard and is just one stroke behind leader Brooks Koepka.

However, Hovland is not just a Norwegian who is making headlines with his incredible performance. Fellow countryman and football star Erling Haaland has earned himself some popularity after creating several records playing for Manchester City in the Premier League.

Speaking on Haaland's achievement, he felt is 'pretty incredible.' Despite not meeting him ever, Viktor Hovland has had a chat with the Norwegian star.

"We've never met, but we've chatted a bit online," Hovland said. "I'm not the biggest sports fan, so I don't really pay attention, but even I have heard of Erling Haaland, and what he's doing is pretty incredible."

Viktor Hovland at the 2023 PGA Championship - Round Three (via Getty Images)

Interestingly, if Viktor Hovland manages to win the 2023 PGA Championship, he will become the first golfer from Norway to win a men's major golf tournament.

Hovland, who is not a big sports fan, feels a lot of Norwegian athletes are performing well worldwide. He mentioned tennis star Casper Ruud and added:

"It's cool to see a lot of Norwegian athletes doing so well worldwide, even Casper Ruud in tennis is doing great. It's pretty exciting to be a Norwegian."

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"I want to win" - Viktor Hovland speaks on his chances of winning the 2023 PGA Championship

Viktor Hovland has been consistent with his performances at big tournaments. Earlier in the 2023 Players Championship, he finished tied for third and finished T7 on the leaderboard at the 2023 Masters. As a matter of fact, he was also the first Norwegian golfer to participate in the Masters.

Speaking of his experience, Hovland emphasized that playing in any major tournament's weekend is special.

"Any chance you have to play in the final group on a Sunday on a major, that's pretty special," he said.

After having an incredible outing on Saturday, where he scored par 70, he is quite confident of winning the 2023 PGA Championship. Viktor Hovland wants to take one shot at a time and does not want to give away (a chance of winning the championship).

"Obviously I want to win, but I am just going to play what I think is the right play on every single shot, and if I get beat, I get beat, but the plan is to not give it away," Hovland said.

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Who is leading the table at the 2023 PGA Championship?

After the end of round 3 on Saturday, it is again a LIV golfer, Brooks Koepka, leading the table. Interestingly, Koepka also maintained his lead at the 2023 Masters, until at last losing to Jon Rahm. He is followed by Canadian golfer Corey Conners and Norwegian Viktor Hovland.

Here are the top 10 golfers on the leaderboard of the 2023 PGA Championship:

• 1 - Brooks Koepka
• T2 - Corey Conners
• T2 - Viktor Hovland
• 4 - Bryson DeChambeau
• T5 - Bryson DeChambeau
• T5 - Justin Rose
• 7 - Rory McIlroy
• T8 - Justin Suh
• T8 - Michael Block
• T10 - Min Woo Lee
• T10 - Shane Lowry
• T10 - Tommy Fleetwood
• T10 - Stephan Jager
• T10 - Victor Perez
• T10 - Eric Cole

It is expected that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will try to cover the lead and jump on the table. The most interesting name on the list is Michael Block, who is a club professional of the PGA of America.