Who Is Joe Mayo? Meet the Man Behind Viktor Hovland’s Resurgence

The final round of the PGA Championship has begun, and all eyes are on the leaderboard. And rightfully so! The leaderboard looks very interesting, with Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa tied for T1. However, there seems to be an imposter too in the top 5. Who? Viktor Hovland! The reason? He has been having a disappointing season so far, having not finished in the top-10 even once. His best finish this season was T19 at Genesis. He also pulled out of a lot of Tour events. Maybe to get better, maybe to defect to LIV—who’s to say? But as of now, the former seems to be the right choice.

The Norwegian golfer completed his third round with five birdies, bringing his total to 13 under par. He is tied for fourth place and has left everyone astonished. He is preparing to enter the fourth round, head first, and the man to thank behind Hovland’s resurgence is his swing coach, Joe Mayo.

How did Joe Mayo start his journey with golf?

Joseph Mayo, also known as Joe Mayo, began his journey with a passion for volleyball during his upbringing in Cedar Grove, Tennessee. However, a pivotal eye injury prompted him to shift his focus from volleyball to golf. This led him to embark on a coaching career at a club in Palm Springs. Interestingly, Mayo later made another significant shift, this time transitioning his focus to professional poker, where he dedicated himself to the game for approximately ten years.

It appears that destiny brought him back to golf in 2008, as Mayo secured a position at a retail golf store. During this period, he made a significant connection when he sold a TrackMan to a wealthy customer for $25,000, offering a lifetime of complimentary golf sessions as part of the transaction.

In the process, Joe Mayo developed a deep understanding of and adeptness in managing the core principles of golf. It wasn’t long before trainer Grant Waite introduced him to the professional golfing world. Since then, Mayo has coached numerous exceptional players, with Viktor Hovland being one of them.

At the beginning of 2024, Hovland surprised the golfing community with unexpected news. Just before the Sentry Tournament, the Norwegian announced that he had parted ways with Mayo. Hovland kept most of the details confidential about the shocking announcement. Mayo had played a significant role in helping him secure three PGA Tour wins in 2023. However, the duo didn’t remain separated for long. Before the start of the 2024 PGA Championship, a post from @NoLayingUp on X revealed that Hovland had reunited with his former coach, Joe Mayo.

The story of Viktor Hovland and his swing coach

After the pair started working together, things improved for the 26-year-old. In 2023, he didn’t miss a single cut. Despite his victory at the Memorial Tournament in 2023, the coach remained fixated on the fundamentals, stating, “Our course management, or our strategy, is not very good.” Mayo had transformed Hovland’s game strategy and short-game mechanics, improving his strokes gained around the greens by 91 positions from 2022 to 2023.

Mayo highlighted, “It’s not a birdie contest. This is a double-bogey-avoidance contest. At Oklahoma State, you could out-hit those guys, but you’re not going to out-hit Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler. You have to outthink them and start playing chess.” Subsequently, it became evident how extensively the swing coach prioritizes Hovland’s fundamentals to assist him.

After an incredible start in the first round, where he birdied the par-5 10th (his first hole of the day), followed by birdies at the 12th and 13th holes, he finished with a three-under-par round of 68. Viktor Hovland has reunited with his former coach in pursuit of reclaiming his 2023 form. Do you think this decision will enhance his chances of winning the PGA Championship?

The answer will soon be unveiled; until then, stay tuned to EssentiallySports for timely updates on the ongoing 2024 PGA Championship.