Viktor Hovland is the mastermind of his own assassination.
Preparing for (hopefully) competition at The Sentry in Hovland customs of the Norwegian Gulf that he had broken up with swing instructor Joe Mayo again.
“I no longer work with Mayo,” Hovland told the Norwegian outlet. “We ended this cooperation about a month ago. … I don’t need to go into detail about it, but we had a little disagreement on what to do next and what would be best for me.”
Hovland began working with Joe Mayo in 2023, although they parted ways after Hovland won the FedExCup in August, only to reunite ahead of this year’s PGA Championship. Hovland has also worked with coaches Grant Waite and Dana Dahlquist this year and said he is currently sending videos to “another coach” as a consultant.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much and have so much knowledge that I don’t need anyone to hold my hand anymore,” Hovland said.
Hovland is coming off a year in which he failed to win a tournament for the first time since turning professional in 2019 – Hovland revealed a stress fracture in his right little finger, which forced him to take several weeks off after the Tour Championship – and in 2024 he played just 17 events, six less than a year earlier.
However, he still advanced to East Lake last fall and remains in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings, sitting at No. 8 to start the new season.
“Competition, when the technical aspects are not right, steals a lot of energy,” Hovland said. “Coincidences make the game merciless, so I prefer to go home and practice. …And yet I was close to winning my first major this year. It taught me that my game doesn’t have to be perfect.
As for this week, Hovland is not only dealing with calcium buildup around the cartilage in his injured toe, which Hovland said has left the toe “a little bit exposed,” he is also dealing with a broken toe and an injury he suffered last week.
Hovland initially shared an X-ray of his broken right little toe and explained to Norsk Golf that the injury occurred in his hotel room in Hawaii. He fell asleep with the light on and in his traveling clothes, and when he woke up to turn off the light and undress, he accidentally stubbed his finger on the corner of the bed. After a visit to the emergency room, a fracture was revealed, which Hovland said would take four to six weeks to heal completely.
After hitting a few balls barefoot and trying to take some weight off his injured foot, Hovland says the pain is easing and will determine whether he plays for Kapalua or withdraws.
“It’s not ideal,” Hovland said. “But adversity builds character, and we all need a few punches in the face from time to time.”
