As the sun rises over the lush fairways of Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, Viktor Hovland stands on the practice range, methodically working through his swing. It’s a familiar sight for the 28-year-old Norwegian, but one laced with a tension that’s defined much of his last 18 months. After a period of self-imposed exile from the spotlight—marked by swing overhauls, coaching changes, and a string of frustrating results—Hovland is back in competitive action this week at the Nedbank Golf Challenge. And true to form, he’s not shying away from the uncomfortable truths about where his game stands.
“A little better,” Hovland said plainly during a pre-tournament interview, his voice carrying the measured optimism of someone who’s stared down the barrel of golf’s unforgiving nature. “It’s kind of been a challenging period throughout the last two years, but I think, even though I haven’t been super happy with the way I’ve swung it the past, even a couple of months, I’ve started to get some consistent results.”
For a player who once seemed invincible, these words feel like a hard-won concession. Hovland’s 2023 season was a masterclass in dominance: three PGA Tour victories, including the Tour Championship crown, and a pivotal role in Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in Rome. His ball-striking was surgical, his short game evolving into a weapon, and his demeanor unshakably cool. But 2024 and early 2025 brought a stark reversal. A swing that had propelled him to world No. 4 began to betray him—path issues leading to errant drives, iron play that lost its precision, and a putting stroke that, while always a work in progress, felt more like a liability than an asset.
The downward spiral was evident in the numbers. In 16 PGA Tour starts last year, Hovland managed just two top-10 finishes—a runner-up at the FedEx St. Jude Championship—and eight top-25s, a far cry from his previous output. Missed cuts piled up, including three in a row earlier this year, and high-profile moments like the 2025 Players Championship encapsulated the struggle. There, on the infamous 15th at TPC Sawgrass, he blocked a drive into the woods, found his ball nestled in an impenetrable bush, and had to drop to all fours to retrieve it—a penalty stroke that mirrored the broader chaos in his game.
“I’ve missed cuts before and felt like my game has been okay and I still feel like the next week I can win the tournament,” Hovland reflected after a surprise victory at the Valspar Championship in March, where he closed with rounds of 67-69-67 to edge out Justin Thomas. That win, his first of 2025, offered a glimmer of hope, but even in victory, he was brutally honest. “The last year and a half has been, okay, I know my golf game is not very good, I know I have some issues… It’s still not great.”
The root of the turmoil? Swing mechanics, or more precisely, the relentless pursuit of perfection that has both elevated and haunted Hovland. After his 2023 peak, he parted ways with longtime coach Joe Mayo, only to reunite midway through last season in a bid to recapture old feels. The experiment faltered; by year’s end, they split again, and Hovland turned to T.J. Yeaton for a fresh perspective. Off-season sessions were grueling—hours on the range dissecting a backswing hitch, recalibrating release patterns, and rebuilding trust in a body that, as he puts it, “just doesn’t feel like you’re able to compete.”
“I suck at it right now,” he admitted bluntly ahead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in January, describing golf as “elusive, counterintuitive, and difficult.” At the PGA Championship in May, his candor peaked: “Yeah, there would definitely be some [surprise at contending] because I’m still not entirely happy with where I’m at.” Yet, buried in the frustration is a fierce self-belief. “I’m a lot more mature, I’m a lot more experienced, and I have more tools in my arsenal now to compete at these big events,” he added, eyes fixed on majors like the upcoming 2026 editions.
Hovland’s bluntness isn’t defeatism—it’s fuel. He’s “certified nuts,” as he joked earlier this year, for the obsessive tinkering that defines elite athletes. And while a nagging neck injury sidelined him briefly during the Ryder Cup—prompting whispers about his spot on Europe’s 2025 team—he’s since returned to full health, walking the fairways with that signature bowed-legged stride that fans adore. Recent practice rounds at Sun City have shown flashes: near-perfect approaches on tricky clover greens, a revived DS72 putter in hand (a nod to his 2023 successes), and birdie putts that, if not vintage Hovland, at least hint at progress.
This week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, the traditional curtain-raiser to the DP World Tour’s “Race to Dubai,” feels like a pivotal checkpoint. The Gary Player layout demands the very precision Hovland’s been chasing—tight fairways, elevated greens, and opportunities for aggressive play that reward ball-strikers. A strong showing here could quiet the doubters and propel him into a 2026 season where majors loom large. “When you’re trying to get back to old patterns, you’ve got to work on it,” he said in Dubai back in January. “It doesn’t happen on its own. So you’ve got to put some extra work in.”
As Hovland lines up his first tee shot on Thursday, the golf world watches. Is this the return of the unflappable Viking who dismantled fields in 2023? Or another chapter in a redemption arc still unfolding? One thing’s certain: Viktor Hovland won’t settle for mediocrity. His game may be “a little better,” but his resolve is unbreakable—and that’s the edge that could once again make him a force.
