His 2024 appearance inspired pretty much the same reaction as Hovland arrived for his first round wearing an even louder design from J.Lindeberg. Good news for people who think this look is fresh: all items are available for purchase.
“I just felt like I got to basically the pinnacle of what my golf swing was able to do last year.”
Viktor Hovland isn’t ruling himself out at the 88th Masters Tournament. But he’s honest about the additional challenges he faces as he works through swing changes.
Hovland, 26, has never missed at cut at Augusta National and has enjoyed an upward trend in his performances, cracking the top 10 for the first time last year with a share of seventh.
But while the affable Norweigian won three times last season, Hovland said winning the FedExCup title and the $18 million bonus came as a bit of surprise given how many hours he spent grinding on the range at the Scottish Open and British Open last season.
“I was always trying to learn, but at the same time, I just felt like I got to basically the pinnacle of what my golf swing was able to do last year,” he said during a pre-tournament press conference, “and just when I keep looking back at my swings from 2020, 2021, I just really had more control of the golf ball, in my opinion.”
Hovland said he went searching for other opinions on his golf swing because he felt like he got everything he could out his game last summer and didn’t believe that level of golf was sustainable. After an extended break during the offseason, Hovland said his game wasn’t the same when he returned to the range.
So far, Hovland said, the changes he’s working on haven’t clicked, which is why recent results have been lacking. In 2024, Hovland has only one finish in the top 20 at The Genesis Invitational, where he took a share of 19th.
Though he has yet to win one, Hovland has been a force at the majors over the past year. He leads the way with the best cumulative score to par at the last five majors at 30 under alongside Rory McIlroy. Scottie Scheffler is next at 27 under.
In addition to his top 10 at the Masters last year, he took a share of second at the PGA Championship in 2024 and tied for fourth at the British Open in 2022.
As a kid, Hovland liked to dive into YouTube videos to learn more about the why. While he’s not a student of other people’s golf swings, he does like to get technical about his own in terms of the biomechanics and forces and torques.
The goal though, of course, isn’t to have all those swing thoughts swirling around.
“Your confidence level is going to be a little bit different than when you don’t have any conscious thoughts,” he said. “That’s obviously the end goal when you play this game, is that you show up and you go through your routine and there’s almost, like, a blackout. You just react to what you’re doing, and you see the shots, and the ball flight translates into what you’re seeing. That’s the goal. When you’re not doing that, you have to obviously work to get there.”
Hovland’s move gives this county half of the world’s top 10 golfers in the current ranking and 10 of the top 30.
Palm Beach County in Florida has added another top 10 golfer in the world among its residents.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland, ranked No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking, recently moved from Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Palm Beach Gardens, where he is living with a friend. Hovland is scouting the area for the best place to buy.
Hovland’s move gives Palm Beach County half of the world’s top 10 golfers in the current ranking and 10 of the top 30.
Hovland, 26, had lived in Stillwater since arriving at Oklahoma State University. When asked about the move after his pro-am Wednesday before the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, he compared the weather in the Midwest to South Florida.
“The weather is a big one,” he said. “It’s just hard to beat it for golf, especially this time of year. This has kind of been a rough winter in Stillwater. Just not great for practicing. Even though I love Oklahoma. Summertime it’s great, and I certainly miss the people there.”
Stillwater’s average temperature from December through January is in the 50s. The city had three consecutive days in January when the low was below zero.
Hovland also was drawn by the proximity to international airports, especially Miami which has nonstop flights to Oslo.
“I do find it easier if I want to go back home to Norway, it’s a direct flight from Miami,” he said. “I can have family and friends come down and hang out. It’s a little bit harder for them to come to Stillwater, and, yeah, there’s not much to do there either. So at least in Florida, there’s a little bit more we can do.”
Hovland is the reigning FedEx Cup champion, which earned him $18 million, and has won six times on the PGA Tour. He joins fellow top 10 golfers Rory McIlroy (No. 2), Xander Schauffele (5), Patrick Cantlay (6) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (9) as residents of northern Palm Beach County. Hovland, McIlroy and Fitzpatrick were part of the victorious European Ryder Cup team, as were Jupiter residents Shane Lowry (54) and team captain Luke Donald.
Keegan Bradley (15), Cameron Young (21), Justin Thomas (23), Matthieu Pavon (24) and Brooks Koepka (30) round out top 30 county residents in the current ranking.
Others of note include Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger, Gary Woodland, Eric Cole, Lucas Glover and Matt Kuchar.
Koepka leads a long list of LIV golfers in the area, among them Branden Grace, Dustin Johnson, Anirban Lahiri, Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, Charl Schwartzel, Peter Uihlein and Matthew Wolff.
Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els and Justin Leonard are among those on the PGA Tour Champions living in the county.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf writer for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@gannett.com.
“It’s been a little bit frustrating so far this year.”
ORLANDO, Fla. — Six months after Viktor Hovland won the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup and a bundle of cash, he fired one coach, hired another and set off in pursuit of flushing his irons with the consistency and precision he “cherishes.”
“It’s been a little bit frustrating so far this year,” said Hovland, who has yet to record a top-10 finish in three starts this season, speaking at his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “Feel like my swing hasn’t been quite as good as it has been in previous years, so it’s been, felt like I’ve tried to prioritize just being home and practicing, putting a lot of work in. Don’t really want to fight through something while playing, it’s just not that fun, and I don’t see the point of it.”
That explains why Hovland withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open after finishing T-58 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was reduced to 54 holes in February.
What’s harder to explain is his musical chairs among instructors – from Jeff Smith to Joe Mayo and now taking his tips from former Tour pro Grant Waite.
“I’m a very curious guy. I like to ask questions,” Hovland said. “Sometimes when you ask a question and you get some answers, that leads you down a different path and opens up some new questions and you pursue a different path. I just want to kind of see where it goes. I always like to improve and expand my knowledge, and it just happened to lead me down to Grant Waite.”
Hovland is 26 years old and the winner of six Tour titles. He first played the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in 2020 after winning the U.S. Amateur. He’s finished tied for second and tied for 10th the last two seasons. When asked to describe what has been off with his game, he said, “It’s just the mechanics of the swing. Just haven’t been able to hit the shots that I want to.”
And that matters to Hovland almost as much as his score.
“I guess that’s kind of the insane part of my brain is that I just enjoy flushing a golf shot,” he said. “Obviously, we’re out here to compete and win tournaments, but I really just cherish being able to hit the shots exactly the way I want to. I think it’s a better predictor of how you’re going to play in the future.”
Hovland finished the 2022-23 season, during which he also won in May at the Memorial, with back-to-back wins at the BMW Championship, where he shot a final-round 61, and at the Tour Championship, and followed with a starring role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory. So, parting ways with Mayo, who he credits with helping him improve his short game, made for an odd decision (not that his ball striking had many holes when he departed Smith for Mayo). Hovland clearly isn’t a proponent of the old saying that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
“When you’re seeing a shot and your swing is not producing those shots, it becomes very tough to compete, especially at this level,” Hovland said, noting that he had been playing defensive golf instead of swinging with confidence. So, he’s spent countless hours reviewing old swings, especially from 2019 when he first turned pro as well as early 2021, which he tabbed as when he was swinging it best.
Viktor Hovland of Norway talks with Luke Donald of England during the pro-am ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 06, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
“Kind of seeing the evolution of my swing. It’s very interesting,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of multiple different patterns.”
Hovland’s swing may remain a work-in-progress — “I’m just pressuring the ground a little bit differently,” he explained matter-of-factly — but his accurate driving and mid-iron excellence is why he’s usually in the hunt at Arnie’s Place. The question remains: Will he have enough confidence to make the shots he’s capable of in crunch time?
“If I can stand on the range or on a golf course, see a shot and execute that shot, that gives me confidence,” he said. “The most important thing is that you see the shots that you’re hitting and you have belief that you’re going to do that repeatedly.”
When asked where the game was heading, Hovland said he wasn’t sure. “Obviously, the LIV is bringing in a lot of money to the sport and there’s a lot of competition, which I think is good. But it seems to have been a response from the PGA Tour’s side, that OK … it’s just more talk about the money, and I think that’s a little bit sad.
“Now, money is important, and everyone needs to get paid accordingly, in a fair way, but I don’t think that needs to be like the driving force behind this or the story every single week.”
Hovland’s ideal answer began with a story about the John Deere Classic. He said if the event raised its winner’s prize to $6 million, it would be great, however, “I’d much rather win a Memorial or a tournament like that,” said Hovland, who did win the Memorial, Jack Nicklaus’ tournament in Ohio, last year.
“Because the history and the golf course and Jack and something like that,” Harmon responded. To which Hovland agreed.
Harmon, who coaches golfers across the world and on both tours, said Dustin Johnson was seen watching the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational a couple weeks ago. Johnson won the Genesis in 2017. It’s a tournament and course Johnson loves.
“That’s the thing. You’re going to have those memories of winning that event, seeing your name on that trophy and the history of all the names,” Hovland said.
Added Harmon: “Jack standing there when you walk off.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool,” Hovland responded. “Obviously the paycheck is nice as well, but that’s … if that’s what you’re remembering by the end of the week, that feels a little bit soulless, in my opinion.
“I don’t know what the path forward is, to be honest. It’s been a little sad, but I try not to think about it too much. It’s a little comical, to be honest, to see what’s going on in the game of golf. But I hope there’s a resolution in the future. Because at the end of the day, I just want to compete at the best golf courses, the best tournament, against the best players.
“And it’s as simple as that. However that’s going to happen, I don’t know, but that’s what I would like to see.”
“You’d have to be asleep at the wheel to not know that the scoreboard has been placed in that gap.”
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Viktor Hovland’s alternate route to play the 474-yard par-4 15th hole at Riviera Country Club down the 17th hole will remain an option – a risky one at that over an electronic scoreboard meant to discourage players – after the PGA Tour considered installing internal out of bounds as a local rule this week but opted against it.
Instead of a power fade to turn the corner of the doglegged fairway and avoid the fairway bunker, Hovland for the past few years has been the most high-profile player opting to play down the 17th hole, which runs to the right of it. It’s a move he originally attempted playing at Riviera in the 2017 U.S. Amateur at the suggestion of his former Oklahoma State teammate Zach Bauchou.
When asked in 2022 if it was his game plan to play the hole in this manner regardless of the flag position, Hovland said, “I think so. … It’s a no brainer.”
Hovland also told Golfweek that his stats maven, DP World Tour pro Edoardo Molinari, advised him that was the best plan of attack for the hole.
“The main reasons to go down 17 is that you take out the right fairway bunker on 15 and you have a wider fairway to hit. It also makes the hole slightly shorter,” Molinari explained in an email.
The tournament’s rules committee, which is headed by Tour rules official Steve Rintoul, this week’s chief referee, spent considerable time on Tuesday and Wednesday considering whether to install internal out-of-bounds down the entire right side of the hole. The primary reasons to do so centered on safety concern for volunteer marshals and fans watching/walking on 17 being in the line of fire, and in part to protect the architectural integrity of the hole designed by architects George C. Thomas Jr., and Billy Bell, which they never dreamed to be played in this style.
Internal OB has been instituted in recent years to avoid a shortcut down the left side of the 18th hole at Waialae Country Club during the Sony Open in Hawaii, at No. 18 at TPC Sawgrass during the Players Championship, two separate spots at the upcoming Cognizant Classic at PGA National, not to mention at the first hole at Royal Portrush during the 2019 British Open to Rory McIlroy’s everlasting dismay.
“What if a guy tries to play the hole the right way and he’s behind a tree and his only play is to go sideways to 17? We’re taking that option away from that player. There were scenarios that didn’t sit well with us,” Rintoul told Golfweek in a phone interview Wednesday. “To do internal out of bounds at a revered place like Riviera for maybe one or two guys going that way isn’t a prudent thing to do.”
The option to play down No. 17 exists because eucalyptus trees that used to block that route have died in recent years. The Tour filled the gap with an electronic board to discourage players from taking the route.
“There was a necessity for a scoreboard on that hole but you’d have to be asleep at the wheel to not know that the scoreboard has been placed in that gap,” Rintoul said. “We’re not naïve. But there’s good reason for it.”
Matt Fitzpatrick, who is another player who uses Molinari as a stats/strategy adviser, played his tee shot down 17 during his practice round but didn’t plan to go that way in the tournament.
“I didn’t particularly like the look of it,” he said. “It’s blind for the second shot if you don’t get far enough down.”
He also pointed out that the electronic scoreboard, which is meant to obstruct the view, had been raised between his practice round on Tuesday and his pro-am round on Wednesday and that the risk of hitting the board would prevent players from taking the alternative route.
“They raised it and put a flag or something on top of it to really mess with you,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think it’s ridiculous that they’ve done that.”
Matt Fitzpatrick of England chips on the fourth green during the Pro-Am prior to The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 14, 2024 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Rintoul confirmed that the scoreboards had been raised but not in a malicious attempt to cut off the route. He pointed out that the boards are positioned at ground level every week and then raised before spectators are permitted on the course. They were lifted four inches ahead of the pro-am round.
Rintoul noted that according to ShotLink data only Hovland and Taylor Montgomery among this week’s 70-man field have opted to play down No. 17 in the past. Players would be advised to have their caddie forecaddie on this hole should they take the alternative route.
“If there was nothing in that gap, we could have a third of the field play that way,” Rintoul said. “That would force our hand with internal out of bounds.”
Adding to the intrigue of taking the alternative route is the fact that the 15th green, which Geoff Shackelford of The Quadrilateral describes as “one of the largest and most artfully constructed greens by Thomas and Bell,” underwent minor renovation since last year’s tournament that flattened the back right of the green. As a result, there’s an additional right-hand hole location on the green this week.
“I believe those flags (on the right side of the green) would be easiest to access from the 17th hole,” Rintoul said.
The long-term fix seems obvious: to add two large eucalyptus trees. It’s been discussed but it’s an expensive proposition that needs to be budgeted for in the future. For now, Hovland and potentially other players will continue to go bombs away down the 17th hole and the Tour will closely monitor the situation.
Close-up photos of the golf equipment stars like Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth are using.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – This week the PGA Tour moved from the frat house atmosphere of TPC Scottsdale to one of the most posh venues on the schedule, Riviera Country Club. Instead of crowds booing bad shots in an arena-like setting, the Genesis Invitational is all about movie stars, a classic course and an ultra-elite field highlighted by Tiger Woods.
Golfweek’s David Dusek was in the practice areas and around the PGA Tour equipment vans this week with his camera and took plenty of close-up photos of the gear being used by the players who are looking to win the $4 million first-place check.
The PGA Tour’s third signature event of the year has arrived, and a loaded field is in Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
Tiger Woods, who hasn’t played an official Tour event since the Masters, last teed it up at the PNC Championship in December. Before that, he placed 18th at the Hero World Challenge.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa and Justin Thomas are among the players who will join Woods.
Reigning champion Jon Rahm is unable to defend his title due to his move to LIV Golf.
Although a pair of stars will be absent, the field is still impressive this week.
PHOENIX — Fresh off a pair of consecutive rounds of 72 to close the weather-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Viktor Hovland withdrew from this week’s WM Phoenix Open on Monday.
Hovland, who is ranked fourth in the world, wasn’t the only top player who decided to skip an appearance in the desert. No. 5 Xander Schauffele, who finished T-54 last week in Monterey after opening with a round of 73, also withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open. His finish at Pebble Beach was his first outside the top 10 in four starts this year.
Schauffele tied for 10th and Hovland tied for 42nd at last year’s WM Phoenix Open. Although the two will be absent, the field is still impressive this week.
Also in the field at TPC Scottsdale will be Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas – they are among the nine players in the OWGR top 20 to tee it up this week. Although the WM Phoenix Open isn’t a signature event this year, many of the best on the PGA Tour will battle for the top prize of $1.584 million that’s part of $8.8 million purse .
Xander Schauffele WD from the WM Phoenix Open; Alexander Björk in.
Thorbjorn Oleson, who is ranked No. 54, has also pulled out of the event. Victor Perez, Jorge Campillo and Alexander Bjork have all been added to the field.
The Male Player of the Year Award was one of two that were unanimous decisions by the Golfweek staff.
As the month of December winds down and January approaches, it’s time to look back on 2023 and reward some of the best moments the game of golf provided fans over the last year.
There were just two awards that produced unanimous votes from the esteemed Golfweek staff: the Female Amateur of the Year and the Male Player of the Year. The former was a repeat winner, while the latter is a first-time Golfweek Award recipient.
The discussion was brief and centered around a pair of multiple-time major champions as well as the winner of the 2023 FedEx Cup. Here are Golfweek’s honorable mentions for Male Player of the Year, as well as the consensus winner.
