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Viktor Hovland carried a dirty towel with him while caddying for his pal Zach Bauchou at the US Open qualifying on Monday, June 5, at Brookside Golf & Country Club in Ohio.
Hovland emerged victorious at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday, June 5, at Muirfield Village Golf Club by beating Denny McCarthy in a playoff. Bauchou was his roommate during his Oklahoma State University days, and both were teammates when the university won the NCAA team championship in 2018.
Following his win on Sunday, the 25-year-old Norwegian didn't take a day off as he was in Columbus, Ohio, to support Bauchou. Todd Lewis of Golf Channel tweeted his picture along with a dirty towel hanging from Bauchou's bag.
Lewis added:
"Viktor and Zach had dinner in Columbus Tuesday night when Zach floated the idea of Viktor caddying for him at the final qualifier. Viktor accepted and is living up to his promise less than 14 hours after the biggest win of his career. Hovland is now #5 in the world.
Reacting to the sight of the gross towel, fans came up with some humorous takes on Twitter.
One user stated that forgetting to bring a new towel was a rookie mistake by Hovland.
A user suggested that a dirty towel could be a superstition.
"Viktor, I got the bag for you but I'm not touching that towel!"
He isn't wrong at all.
"'Hey I’ll loop for you but you have to use that towel that’s been in your trunk since freshman year'"
"What’s with that towel?"
This user believed the towel had some great memories, and that's why he wasn't washing it.
A few Twitter users praised Hovland's humility.
"That’s incredible ! Tells u everything about this guy. fantastic"
A user wrote that the golfer's act was a great example for the next generation.
"That’s awesome give back to your friend. Never forget where you came from."
Did Viktor Hovland's friend Zach Bauchou qualify for the US Open?
Zach Bauchou was accompanied by his old friend Viktor Hovland, who caddied for him on Monday, June 5, for the US Open qualifying event at Brookside Golf & Country Club.
Unfortunately, Bauchou wasn't able to make it to the final field of the US Open, as he posted a round of 76 at Brookside, followed by a 72 at The Lakes Golf & Country Club.
The 2023 US Open will take place from June 15 to 18 at Los Angeles Country Club. 156 players will be competing for the prize money of $17.5 million.
103 players were competing for the 11 qualifying spots at Lakes Golf & Country Club/Brookside Golf & C.C., Columbus, Ohio. Here are the players who qualified for the US Open 2023:
- 1 Olin Browne Jr.: -11
- 2 Davis Thompson: -10
- T3 Eric Cole: -9
- T3 Nicolas Echavarria: -9
- T3 Corey Pereira: -9
- T3 Luke List: -9
- T3 Patrick Rodgers: -9
- T3 Stewart Cink: -9
- T9 Kevin Streelman: -8
- T9 Nick Dunlap (a): -8
- T9 David Nyfjall (a): -8
