Viktor Hovland surged up the 2025 BMW PGA Championship leaderboard with back-to-back rounds in the 60s and dramatic eagles, but his post-round honesty revealed a player still searching for technical confidence off the tee. In this video, we break down Hovland’s highlights—including his clutch eagle putts—his candid insights about recent driving struggles, and why he’s optimistic ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. We also cover Rory McIlroy’s up-and-down day, Hideki Matsuyama’s lead, and how these performances might impact Team Europe. If you’re following the BMW PGA Championship, Ryder Cup buildup, or just love seeing top golfers show both skill and vulnerability, this is the analysis you need!
Keywords: Viktor Hovland, BMW PGA Championship 2025, Wentworth, Ryder Cup, golf highlights, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, European golf, DP World Tour, golf analysis, Hovland eagle putt, honest golfers
Victor Havlin’s impressive standing on the Wentworth leaderboard presents a stark contrast to his candid critique of his own performance. The 27-year-old Norwegian golfer expressed that some of his shots on the West Course during Friday’s play were so disappointing they felt like they hurt my soul. Throughout this year, Havland has been grappling with technical inconsistencies in his game, particularly with his driving, which has raised concerns. Despite posting solid rounds of 67 and 66 at this PGA Championship, he remains refreshingly honest about his struggles. Looking ahead, Havland is set to represent team Europe in the upcoming Rder Cup, a prestigious event in the golfing calendar. It’s making the game a bit more stressful than it should be, Havland remarked. As a golfer, it’s frustrating when I have a clear intention to hit the ball at a certain height, starting left of the target and curving it, but instead the ball goes high and right, which is the complete opposite of what I aim for. That’s just really frustrating. However, I know how to play the game, so I’m doing my best to manage it. Earlier this year, I shot an 80 at the players championship, but then I bounced back to win the following week. I prefer not to play golf in such a stressful manner, as that’s not how I used to approach the game. While I focus on areas that need improvement, I also need to take pride in the fact that I can still compete effectively after two rounds, even when I’m not feeling my best. I’m genuinely pleased with my current position and my scores. It’s quite remarkable to be honest. I’m really struggling with my T-shots and I’m just trying to do everything possible to keep the ball in the fairway and avoid hitting it offline into the trees. Ideally, I want to play the game with less stress. As he heads into the third day of the tournament, Havlin finds himself just one shot behind Hideki Matsyama, who delivered an impressive round of 64. Alongside Havland, Justin Rose and Ludvig Aubberg are also at 11 underpar. On a brighter note, Havland expressed optimism about Europe’s prospects at Beth Page where they aim for a rare victory on American soil. He was a standout performer for Europe in the previous Rder Cup held in Rome where he secured three and a half points for his team. The record speaks for itself, Havlin stated confidently. All the players have had fantastic years. What’s particularly exciting is that we have 11 out of the 12 same players from the last RDER Cup along with the same captain. As a cohesive unit, we’re a known quantity and we understand that this approach has been successful. We don’t have to go to Beth Page wondering if our strategy will work. Unlike the American team which has several new players and a new captain, they might face some uncertainties. Whereas our strength lies in our familiarity with each other and our proven success. In contrast, Rory Mroy had a challenging day, nearly flirting with the cutline after losing three shots in his first five holes. However, the master’s champion rallied with five birdies only to suffer a painful double bogey on the final hole. His level par score of 72 leaves him eight shots behind Havland. Shane Lowry also finished with a total of 74, matching Mroyy’s aggregate. Meanwhile, John Rom is at four under and Robert McIntyre stands at two under. Adding to the concerns for the European Rder Cup team, Rasmus Koygard struggled significantly, finishing at 5 over par after qualifying automatically for Luke Donald’s team. In a rather embarrassing turn of events, Marcel Seam was disqualified after it was discovered that he played the wrong ball on the final hole of his first Round.
