Viktor Hovland plays the hits again in Kapalua.
In particular, Hovland dusted off his double backswing with his driver, something he made his debut in tournament play at the 2018 Porsche European Open when he was still an amateur.
During The Sentry’s live PGA Tour coverage on Saturday, it was explained that Hovland uses a two-step backswing to increase distance, but that’s not the whole story. Returning to the 2018 U.S. Amateur, which Hovland won, Hovland explained to the writer that the double pushup began as an exercise to shorten his backswing; Hovland tended to go too far at the top, which resulted in uncontrolled cuts off the tee. The pause comes at what should be the peak of Hovland’s swing.
“I found that when I stopped, I set my swing to where I felt the draw,” Hovland said in 2018. “My drives were going much straighter and farther, so I figured I might as well try it at the tournament. “
Hovland stopped doing double pumps by the time he got to Pebble Beach this year, although the move has returned at times over the years when Hovland needed help hitting more right-to-left shots or got out into the wide fairway where he could take advantage of the extra distance – up to 15 yards, although with some sacrifice in accuracy.
