You can’t write a Viktor Hovland story without the central theme being his ceaseless pursuit of ‘it.’
Whatever ‘it’ is – and if ‘it’ exists – that would satisfy his swing’s soul.
A year ago, Hovland won the Valspar Championship and immediately told press, “I hit a lot of disgusting shots, but they just happened to go where I was looking.”
He’s been seen on the driving range with “Tin Cup”-style gadgets – pool floaties at this year’s Genesis. He’s been with this coach and that coach and back to this coach and back to that coach. He teamed (again) with Grant Waite shortly before his ’25 Valspar win and then split (again) before this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. Hovland is now working with T.J. Yeaton, with whom he teamed briefly last year.
It might seem whimsical to the public, but Hovland doesn’t take change lightly. Asked Tuesday at Innisbrook Resort, where he is vying for his first Tour title in a year, “the theory behind changing,” Hovland offered a little weight.
“It’s not like I have a theory behind it, but the game of golf is constantly evolving and there’s new challenges that arise all the time. I feel like I’m obviously a very curious person and there’s a lot of smart people out there. If I feel like there’s something missing or – and I obviously haven’t been very happy with the state of my game the last few years – I’m constantly searching to try to hear other perspectives that might resonate with me a little bit more.
“It’s not to say that – like I feel like every single person that I work with I’ve gotten good information, and I don’t seek out dumb people, I find the smartest people that I deem are out there, and I really listen to ‘em and I’ve learned from a lot of ‘em. But I obviously got to filter that information and make that applicable to myself. And there’s some information, some bits and pieces kind of resonate with me more than others, and then I kind of, that’s how I go about it and try to filter out the information the best that I can.”
Hovland’s complexity is evident in his results. He hasn’t missed a cut since prior to that Valspar victory (he withdrew after a third-round 63 at the Travelers because of a neck injury). But he hasn’t won. He has three top-15 finishes this season. But he hasn’t contended.
He’s constantly smiling. But …
“I’m just actually a deeply unhappy guy,” he said with a smirk when asked why he always seemed happy, but Cam Young lacked outward emotion when winning last week’s Players Championship.
“No, I think we show things differently. Cam obviously showed himself pretty stoically after winning the biggest tournament of his career. So, yeah, I think, yeah, we’re all individuals and show it differently.
“I do consider myself like a very serious person, and I take things seriously.”
That’s the complexity of a man forever in search, of what only he really knows.