Golf is full of unique actions and, at The Sentry, we saw the return of one familiar movement from multiple-time PGA Tour winner, Viktor Hovland.
Playing in his first event of 2025, the Norwegian stood at four-under-par through his first 31 holes, but it was a moment at the driveable par 4 14th that caused the biggest reaction, with Hovland showcasing the 'double-pump' golf swing.
Now, you may think that this movement is the look of someone who has lost their swing, but you would be wrong, as the 27-year-old has used this in competitive action before.
Back in 2019, a then rookie Hovland explained that "my normal driver swing creates a little cut. If I have a hole that has a dogleg, or I need to feel a right-to-left shot, or if it's a long par 5 that is super wide, I take out the double-pump. I hit it a little further and my good ones can get up to 15 yards further without going anymore off-line."
Certainly, on the 14th hole, the double-pump worked wonders as Hovland was able to stick his 300-yard, uphill tee shot on to the green, with the former FedEx Cup champion able to roll in the eagle attempt for two.
It's not just Hovland who uses this double-pump method to maximize their ball speed. If you look at the Long Drive circuit, Seb Twaddell is famed for using the double-pump. In fact, he uses the method to such success that he currently holds the ball speed record of over 240mph.
Obviously, Hovland doesn't possess these insane numbers but, thanks to the action, he was able to make an eagle and round-out his day with another birdie at the 15th. What's more, after his four-under second round, the Norwegian then fired a five-under 68 on Saturday to sit in a share of 31st, which is impressive given that he broke his toe just a week prior to the start of The Sentry.
Posting to social media, Hovland shared a screenshot of an X-Ray of his broken toe with the caption "Bed frame 1 – 0 me." Despite the injury, he has continued to get better scoring-wise as the week has gone on.
