Viktor Hovland Makes a 5-Word Brutal Confession as Exiting PGA Championship Once Haunted His Worried Mind

Viktor Hovland has been prey to his imperfect form this season, which could have been the reason behind his absence from the 106th PGA Championship. From his marvelous three streaks of victory in 2023 and the 3-1-1 record in the Ryder Cup that catapulted Team Europe to victory, this year, Hovland was down different rabbit hole.

Being out of the winning circle and constantly finishing outside of the top 10 did affect the confidence of the 27-year-old, to add to his worries Hovland even withdrew from many events this season. He might have opted to sit out of the PGA Championship as well. But he overcame his fear and teed off on the Kentucky greens.

Viktor Hovland shares that he’d rather practice than play bad

At the PGA Championship, three rounds have concluded and Viktor Hovland sits comfortably at T4 and is only two strokes behind the leaders, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa. Was Hovland expecting such a momentous change from his last performances? In the past seven events, Hovland could not secure a spot inside the top 10, His best finish so far this season was at the Genesis Invitational where he finished at T19.

Moreover, he missed the cut at the Masters and withdrew two times, once from the WM Phoenix Open and again at the RBC Heritage. Coming to Valhalla, the Norwegian pro was quite demotivated, but he still played. Following this, if three days ago, someone had told him that he had a chance to win the PGA Championship, would he have believed them? Hovland said, “I would’ve taken out immediately.” Then he made the shocking revelation, saying, “I was almost considering pulling out of this event. Just cause I wasn’t playing good at all.”

Hovland further explained that he felt that things weren’t going well, so instead of playing competitively, he would’ve decided to rather work on it. Regardless of what could’ve been, he is at Valhalla despite the challenges. To avoid any misunderstanding regarding his previous statement, Hovland explained how he feels when things are not going well on the greens, “When you’re playing bad, you just wanna go home.” 

Given his current form at Valhalla, the thought of going home might be the last thing on the Norwegian’s mind. He might just go home with his first Wanamaker Trophy! From missing the contention to having a chance again at the victory, Hovland has come far. But this change could not have been possible if he had not reunited with his former coach.

Viktor Hovland reunites with Joe Mayo

This Hovland and Mayo duo was the reason behind Hovland’s incredible win at the TOUR Championship, BMW Championship, and Memorial Tournament in 2023. But despite the victories, the Norwegian pro felt that his swing was missing the consistency from 2020 and 2021. So, he changed the swing coach in the off-season and started working with Grant Waite and Dana Dahlquist.

However, after the change, as was apparent, things didn’t work well for Hovland in the 2024 season. And before he played the PGA Championship, Hovland appointed Joe Mayo once again. Notably, the change in his gameplay can be seen as he shot 5 under 66 on day three to be tied for fourth. Hovland explained to the PGA Tour that he was trying to learn new stuff, which distracted him from his natural swing and resulted in poor form.

But with Mayo, things are getting back on track. The 6-time PGA Tour winner appreciated his coach and said, “He knows my swing really well. He’s really, really smart, and just has a way of looking at my swing and kind of knowing what it is right away.” After working with Mayo again, Hovland got the answers right away and now he is just focusing on that.

With Mayo returning to Viktor Hovland’s team and him finding his form back, maybe this is the time when Hovland would be reunited with his 2023 self.