Viktor Hovland is coming off a T-30 finish at the Olympics and sits in 57th place entering the first leg of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Only the top 50 after this week advance to the BMW Championship, but Hovland is confident that he sees the light at the end of the tunnel of a very frustrating season to date.
Hovland has withdrawn from multiple events this year — the WM Phoenix Open after a T-58 at Pebble Beach and later from the RBC Heritage, a signature event, after shooting an 81 to miss the cut at the Masters. Both WDs prompted rumors that Hovland was considering a move to LIV Golf, but he has insisted that he’d rather work on his game at home than struggle in competition.
The young Norwegian star was coming off winning the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus last year when he changed swing coaches – that doesn’t seem to have worked. So, how does he plan to defend his title?
Known as a player who tinkers with his swing over countless hours on the range, Hovland said he now has “all the data and the facts on the table” to go about regaining the form that had him on top of the golf world less than 12 months ago.
Hovland’s take on Scheffler vs Schauffele debate: At the end of the year, either Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele will be honored with the Jack Nicklaus Award for PGA Tour Player of the Year. Reigning FedEx Cup Playoffs champ Viktor Hovland didn’t exactly endorse a candidate in the race but he hinted that Schauffele’s achievements this season are more impressive.
Schauffele, the No 2 ranked player in the world, won the PGA Championship at Valhalla and the Open Championship at Royal Troon. Before his epic major season, Schauffele had been the second-steadiest player on the PGA Tour, after Scheffler.
But Hovland also made it clear that he looks up to Scheffler for inspiration.
