Through the summer of 2023, Viktor Hovland was, arguably, the best golfer on the planet, with the Norwegian claiming three PGA Tour titles in three months, including the FedEx Cup playoffs.
However, at the start of 2024, despite his incredible year, Hovland parted ways with coach Joseph Mayo after feeling like his swing wasn’t as good as it had been previously. Since the split, he has struggled with his game, with Hovland's best finish being a tie for 19th at The Genesis Invitational.
On Wednesday evening, and on the eve of the PGA Championship, it was then reported by No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg that Hovland and Mayo were back working together, with Hovland confirming the news following his three-under-par round of 68 on Thursday.
Speaking to the media at Valhalla, the 26-year-old stated: "Yeah, that's correct. Just reached out and was wondering if he (Mayo) could take a look at my golf swing, and let's get back to work.
"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. Felt like I got some really good answers, was able to apply some of the feels right away, and I saw improvement right away. Yeah, it's easy to keep going then."
Sitting inside the top-10 of the PGA Championship as the afternoon wave got their rounds underway in Kentucky, Hovland carded four birdies and two bogeys on his front nine, before a more stable eight pars and one birdie on his back nine gave him a three-under 68. He sits six back of current leader, Xander Schauffele, who produced a nine-under 62, his second ever 62 in Major play.
Although Hovland is a number of shots back of Schauffele, the 68 is his lowest round since the 67 he shot at The Sentry back in January. Throughout 2024, the World No.7 has missed a few Signature Events to focus on his golf game and, at Valhalla, it seems the work is starting to pay off.
Grinding away and being the last on the range on Wednesday evening, Hovland stated: "I don't enjoy just being on the range just to hit balls. Like, there has to be a purpose behind those sessions. Every time I go there, I feel like I have a purpose.
"If there is something that I need to kind of grind in a certain feel, then I'm going to do that. But if I feel like things are good and I'm just wasting energy to be out on the range, I'm not going to go out to the range. That's what's crazy with this game. There's always something to kind of work on."
