[Golf Topic] 'Dubai Champ' Hoblan "I'm Number 3"... Im Seongjae 23rd

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ○..."I'm number 3."

Viktor Hovland (Norway, photo) is showing a terrifying rise. In the weekly golf world rankings officially announced on the afternoon of the 31st (Korean time), he received 7.15 points, jumping two spots from 5th place last week. His victory at the Dubai Desert Classic (total prize money $8 million), which ended the night before at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (par 72, 7,364 yards), stood out. This tournament is also the second event of the ‘Rolex Series,’ which bundles five DP World Tour premium matches.

Hovland turned professional in 2019 and immediately swept two wins in 2020 at the PGA Tour Puerto Rico Open in February and the Mayakoba Classic in December, earning the title of ‘next-generation golf emperor.’ Last year, he secured his third career win by defending his title at the World Wide Technology Championship (Mayakoba Classic), which is included in the 2022 season in November, and also swept the premium event Hero World Challenge in December. From the beginning of the year, he embarked on a ‘Middle East expedition’ and added another premium match victory.

Jon Rahm (Spain) and Collin Morikawa maintained 1st and 2nd places, while Patrick Cantlay and Dustin Johnson (both USA) dropped to 4th and 5th, respectively. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is 6th, and Justin Thomas is 7th. Luke List (USA), the ‘Farmers Insurance Champion,’ soared from 151st to 56th. South Korea has four players in the ‘Top 100’: Im Sung-jae (24) at 23rd, Kim Si-woo (27) at 54th, Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) at 70th, and Kim Joo-hyung (20) at 81st.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.