Watch as Norway World Cup fans create an ‘electric’ environment for Viktor Hovland at the Travelers Championship. Originally published on Sporting News. Click here to add Sporting News as your preferred source.
The 2026 World Cup has so far had a large fan base with high ratings, from unique celebrations to huge crowds for high-profile matches. In the Northeastern United States, Norwegian fans have proven that they can create a great sports environment.
advertisement
Norway, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, advanced to the Round of 32 thanks in part to fans traveling between Foxborough and New Jersey during the group stage and a “smorgasbord” of the team’s wins over Iraq and Senegal.
However, there were many Norwegian fans in the New England area for the World Cup, and some decided to attend as supporters of another sport: golf. With the 2026 Travelers Championship being held in Connecticut, Norwegian fans were seen cheering on fellow Norwegian Viktor Hovland at the tournament as he held the lead throughout the weekend.
Find out how Norwegian fans continued their 2026 World Cup adventure by giving Hovland a home crowd feel at the Travelers Championship.
2026 World Cup Headquarters:Latest World Cup News | Full World Cup Schedule | Buy World Cup Tickets
advertisement
Norwegian fans cheering on Viktor Hovland at the Travelers Championship
Norwegian fans have already made their presence felt in the group stages of the 2026 World Cup. Throughout the three games at Gillette Stadium and MetLife Stadium, the fan base was buzzing with “Viking Row” celebrations in which they moved around in unison to imitate Viking rowing.
After all, those fans aren’t just rowing to cheer on the soccer team. Last weekend, a group of Norwegian fans came to cheer on Hovland, the world’s most famous Norwegian golfer, as the 2026 Travelers Championship was being held not far from where Norway is playing its World Cup matches.
Similar to the World Cup stadium, Norwegian fans sat together on the grass at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut and rowed boats to cheer on Hovland.
advertisement
“We are Vikings,” Hovland said of the celebration, according to the PGA Tour. “It’s kind of in our DNA. It’s kind of funny. It’s the first time I’ve seen this. I think it’s the first time we’ve done this, especially at the World Cup. It took us 1,000 years to figure this out. Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool.”
Whether it was because of the extra support or not, Hovland was enjoying one of the best performances of his career as he battled for his eighth PGA Tour victory. Hovland took the sole lead in Saturday’s tournament, but Norwegian flags and uniforms were clearly visible in the crowd.
After Saturday’s round, Hovland described the support from the Norwegian fans as “inspiring.”
advertisement
“The atmosphere here today was really exciting,” Hovland said. “It was really cool to see me in the Norway jersey and I had a lot of fun playing in front of everyone today.”
more: Norway’s “Ro! Ro!” historical chant and rowing
Where is Viktor Hovland from?
Hovland is originally from Oslo, Norway.
He then played college golf at Oklahoma State University from 2016 to 2019, and officially turned pro in 2019.
More World Cup news:
2026 Travelers Championship Leaderboard
Heading into Sunday’s final round, Hovland is in the driver’s seat of the 2026 Travelers Championship, watched by Norwegian fans.
advertisement
Hovland holds a one-stroke lead over Scottie Scheffler, giving the duo a commanding advantage over the rest of the field.
Here are the top of the three round leaderboards:
rank | player | total score |
1 | Viktor Hovland | -20 |
2 | Scotty Scheffler | -19 |
T3 | Patrick Cantlay | -15 |
T3 | Akshay Bhatia | -15 |
T5 | Shane Lowry | -13 |
T5 | Wyndham Clark | -13 |
T5 | ben griffin | -13 |
T5 | matt fitzpatrick | -13 |
T5 | Eric Cole | -13 |
Viktor Hovland wins on the PGA Tour
Hovland has seven wins on the PGA Tour and is aiming for his eighth at the Travelers Championship in 2026. Although he has yet to win a major, he has finished in the top five at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and British Open Championship.
Hovland’s PGA Tour wins include:
year | tournament | total score |
2020 | puerto rico open | -20 |
2020 | Mayakoba Golf Classic | -20 |
2021 | Worldwide Technology Championship | -twenty three |
2023 | commemorative tournament | -7 |
2023 | bmw championship | -17 |
2023 | tour championship | -27 |
2025 | valspar championship | -11 |
