Few moments set the tone for the 2023 Ryder Cup quite like Viktor Hovland chipping in on the first hole on Friday morning as Europe went on to take a 4-0 lead in the opening session in Rome.
It was no surprise that Luke Donald put Viktor Hovland out in the second match of the Ryder Cup, with the Norwegian winning The Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup the previous month. Hovland would end the week with 3.5 points from five matches as Europe regained the trophy.
It was a real statement of intent from the then 26-year-old; hinting that Hovland was going to be in that mix with the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm over the fight to be the world’s best player. Of course, Rahm would largely take himself out of the equation by deciding to join LIV Golf later in the year.
But Hovland looked poised for greatness. He made the cut at all 23 events he played on the PGA Tour in 2023, while he also finished in the top 10 on nine occasions.
Viktor Hovland was backed for greatness in 2024
So it was little surprise in December 2023 when Rex Hoggard told the Golf Channel Podcast that he was backing Hovland to be the player to elevate himself into being a superstar in 2024.
“I went with Viktor Hovland, and I think you’re going to go with Viktor Hovland as well. I think we can all agree, he’s on the ballot for the PGA Tour Player of the Year, he’s on the ballot for the Golf Writers Association Player of the Year,” he said.
“He’s not going to win, because he didn’t win a major. I think that comes next year, when you look at the progression of his game, and I keep going back to that story at this year’s Open Championship when you walked by him and he was hitting those little flippy wedge shots off that rock hard turf, beautiful chip shots and he turned and I think his line to you was, ‘remember when I couldn’t hit those shots’, or, ‘remember when everyone thought I was a bad chipper’. And he’s turned one of his biggest weaknesses into one of his biggest strengths and that’s how you go from being a really, really good PGA Tour player to being a great PGA Tour player.
“Let’s face it, his ball striking was always sublime, he was always amongst the best in the game. He took that one area and you see what happened this year, he wins the FedEx Cup, he wins multiple times on the PGA Tour, he has just an unbelievable Ryder Cup with the European team. I think all of those things only push him to get better next year. I would actually be surprised if he doesn’t win a major next year.”
A disappointing decline
It is nearly impossible to be critical of Hoggard’s decision to back Hovland for a major title in 2024. He finished in the top 20 at all four majors in 2023. Few would have ever imagined how he would actually fare this past season.
Ultimately Hovland missed the cut at three of the four majors, while he finished third at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. He actually did not miss any other cuts all year, but he also only registered two top 10 finishes.
Hovland will miss the rest of the year due to injury. But perhaps that may help him somewhat reset ahead of 2025. Not only will he have his sights set on all four major championships, but there is also the small matter of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
He is arguably one of those players who probably does not need to be at his very best by then to secure a spot on Donald’s team one way or another, but Europe are likely to need more of his magic if they are going to stand any chance of stunning the New York crowds.
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