Despite suffering a freakish injury in the days preceding the long-awaited opening event of the 2025 PGA Tour season, Viktor Hovland delivered a respectable first-round performance in Hawaii. The highly-rated youngster hobbled around the picturesque Plantation Course in Kapalua, the home of The Sentry Championship since just before the turn of the century. Hovland shot an opening round score of 70 to conclude the competition’s first day in 23rd position, less than a week after breaking his toe in bizarre circumstances.
Playing through the pain barrier
Following a long-haul flight from his native Norway, Hovland had fallen asleep fully clothed in his Hawaiian hotel room. After waking up and deciding to undress, the 2023 FedEx Cup winner stubbed his toe on a bed frame, resulting in a substantial fracture.
In the hours leading up to his tee-off slot, the Oslo-born star was seen hitting balls without wearing golf shoes and limping heavily between practice shots. Hovland remained philosophical about his injury throughout his preparation, suggesting that breaking his right pinky toe wouldn’t harm his swing. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the Norwegian — who has six career PGA Tour wins under his belt — can navigate all four rounds in Maui.
Confirming what he had told the PGA at a pre-tournament news conference, Hovland remarked that he “flew 24 hours from Norway, got back to the hotel room and was so tired, fell asleep on the bed with my clothes on and woke up in the middle [of the] night, turned the lights down and stubbed my toe on the bed frame.”
An odd coincidence
The peculiar incident came within days of Scottie Scheffler’s strange Christmas Dinner mishap, which saw the world number one incur a sizeable gash after accidentally handling broken glass. The American quickly underwent surgery, with full recovery expected to materialize by mid-January. However, Scheffler — unlike his previous Ryder Cup rival — was ruled out of the season opener.
It’s been an extremely eventful period for Hovland, who split with legendary coach Joe Mayo for a second time on the eve of the 2025 campaign. The long-term impact of these potentially unsettling incidents remains to be seen, but for now, at least, the talented 27-year-old seems to be coping admirably.
