Viktor Hovland returns to Muirfield Village as the defending champion but without the usual aura of one. Indeed, the Norwegian is not the bettor’s favorite at the tournament where he kicked off his blistering run at the end of last year. Even the Norwegian isn’t getting the jitters about defending a title. 

Rather, Hovland refuted any suggestion that this was special for a defending champion. His form has seen a staggering decline. Except for the PGA Championship, Hovland failed to come within the top-10. And, from his admission, it is evident that his confidence level is not as high as it should be for a defending champion.

Viktor Hovland admits his reigning champion status is worthless

Asked whether his last year’s heroics offered him any relief, Hovland was reluctant. It’s nostalgic to come back to Muirfield Village, where he drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th and saved par on the 72nd hole to force a playoff. Hovland ran away with the trophy in the playoff, nailing three clutch putts. All that gives him positive vibes. But rather than boosting his confidence on known turf, it sort of stings the Norwegian. 

“This golf course doesn’t care about your memories or good vibes. Hovland admitted it quite frankly. “It’s going to punish you and bring you down if you miss it on the wrong side. I think it’s one of the hardest courses we play all year, so you definitely have to bring your A game, whether you’re defending champion or not.”

None of what Hovland said can be denied. Muirfield Village is one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour. The 16th, where Nicklaus added a lake last year, baffled many (Jason Day, apparently, called the 16th stupid). Given all that, the fact that Hovland doesn’t carry the confidence of a defending champion, much less the swagger, says something about his game. 

The core of his philosophy is innovation. The six-time PGA Tour winner used to tinker with his swing from YouTube videos. But a slight change in his swing and the golf instructor, Joe Mayo, derailed him from the trophy-laden track he was running on. The Hovland of early 2024 is markedly different from the head-bobbing, effervescently smiling Norwegian who bagged the 2023 Memorial.

Hovland’s performance has raised many questions

The six-time PGA Tour winner is 51st in SG (approach to green) and 38th in reaching greens in regulation. Hovland was right to be concerned about missing the greens on the wrong sides. Driving accuracy has been the winning formula for the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout. Hovland was 12th in SG:tee-to-green last year and 10th in SG:off-the-tee.

Whatever deficiency Hovland had with his irons (he gained only 0.22 shots from around the green and 0.66 shots from approach), his putter answered for that. The six-time PGA Tour winner gained 1.52 strokes compared to the field leading in birdies on a course that played over par for most of the 72 holes.

Scrambling, which measures the number of times a player misses the greens but still saves par or does better, won’t play to Hovland’s advantage either. The Norwegian is 149th in scrambling and 171st in scrambling from rough on the PGA Tour. The 26-year-old is below the tour average of 59.94% and 57.65%, respectively. 

To make matters more difficult for him, the Memorial will see the best in their very best form facing each other. Scottie Scheffler netted another T2 while Hovland was working on his swing. Xander Schauffele remains a constant threat, and now that he has broken off a two-year-long wait for the silverware, the eight-time PGA Tour winner seems to have finally discovered the winning formula. 

Let’s also not ignore the threats from Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. The former has already won twice this year, and his power and precision off the tee will definitely be an advantage here. Barring the Zurich Classic, Collin Morikawa, too, has five top-20s in his last six starts. So, Viktor Hovland is facing a stiff climb ahead.

If anything, the brutal, punishing Muirfield can crush the Hovland of THE PLAYERS Championship. But the Hovland of the PGA Championship might just excel here. It really depends on whether what World No. 5 said is true. He got his form for the 2024 PGA Championship back. It remains to be on Thursday.