Viktor Hovland disagrees with Wyndham Clark over Pinehurst No. 2’s tricky greens

Reigning champion Wyndham Clark described the greens on Pinehurst’s No. 2 course as “just barely there” ahead of the 124th U.S. Open.

In doing so, he noted that Green was “getting closer” to unfair play.

Many players feel that the United States Golf Association (USGA) has stepped up the difficulty level a notch, but not everyone finds the greens to be too firm.

One person who disagreed with Clark on this issue was none other than Viktor Hovland, who played the first nine holes of Pinehurst’s No. 2 course on Monday and said he was impressed with the course.

“The ground is soft because of the rain that fell overnight a few days ago,” Hovland said Tuesday.

“The greens aren’t that firm. Yesterday the greens were soft so it was a close call in my opinion, but what if the wind starts to pick up a little bit and the greens get firmer and faster? It’ll be interesting to see.”

Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Throughout the first nine holes, Hovland’s caddie, Shay Knight, placed discs around the green for him to putt from, showing the Norwegian different hole placement possibilities.

“There were a couple of places I missed, I was probably about a foot low and a little bit too fast and the ball went off the green,” Hovland said.

“It seems like some of the pins are a little close to the drop-off.”

Like many of the players who visited Pinehurst for the first time on Monday, the 26-year-old Hovlan knew this week would be tough. No matter how difficult it is, Hovlan loves the golf course.

“It’s a lot tougher than I remember,” Hovland said. “It’s a difficult golf course, but it’s fun. The fairways are narrow in places, but wide enough that you get penalized if you go off the fairway. There’s a lot of luck involved in getting off the fairway. Sometimes you have a good lie, sometimes you’re a hack out.”

“I love greens that are raised and have rounded sides. I think that’s the way golf courses should be designed. It’s the best way to design greens. Some of the pin placements are a little dodgy… but it’s very rewarding to hit the greens. They slope really steeply and the greens are fast, so you have to get a touch on them.”

Hovland and Clark have different views on the greens at Pinehurst, but it appears to be a matter of perspective. It will be interesting to see how officials set up the course the rest of the week.

The 26-year-old will be paired with Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa for the first two days of the U.S. Open, who tee off at 1:25 pm ET on Thursday and 7:40 am ET on Friday.

Savannah Lee Richardson is a Golf Staff Writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports