Struggling Viktor Hovland makes big decision ahead of US PGA
Viktor Hovland has reportedly decided to go back to the swing coach he fired at the turn of the year, according to a report.
According to No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg, Viktor Hovland has changed swing coaches again. It’s not a new instructor this time around for the ever-curious Hovland; rather, reports suggest he is back working with Joseph Mayo, the coach based out of TPC Summerlin who helped the Norwegian markedly improve his short game and win the FedEx Cup.
“He and Mayo are working again,” Van Valkenburg said on a No Laying Up podcast. “They were spotted at TPC Summerlin working for hours and hours. They have reconnected and are trying to figure this out.”
Despite the best season of his career in 2023, Hovland took the surprise decision to part ways with Mayo at the start of the year after feeling like his swing wasn’t as good as it had been previously.
He hired Grant Waite and has also been seen on the range with renowned teacher Dana Dahlquist, but his results so far in 2024 represent something of a mixed bag. Hovland has just one top-20 finish to his name – a T19 at the Genesis Invitational – and missed the cut at The Masters after rounds of 71 and 81.
This just in: Per @KVanValkenburg, Joe Mayo and Viktor Hovland are working together again!
Presented by @highnoonsunsips. pic.twitter.com/TFx4M5BdBE
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) May 15, 2024
Stats guru Justin Ray also put his recent struggles into context. In strokes gained tee to green, he is down from fourth to 122nd, while his rankings in fairway proximity and approach play have also dropped off.
Hovland finished in a tie for seventh at Augusta National in 2023 and went on to challenge Brooks Koepka for the PGA Championship before having to settle for a T2.
Following on from the runner-up finish, he would go on to win three times on the PGA Tour in a stellar campaign, with the 26-year-old eager to repeat the success now that he’s back under Mayo’s watchful eye.
