PGA Tour golfer admits he’s ‘confused’ after what Viktor Hovland has done recently

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Johnson Wagner has admitted that he has found what Viktor Hovland has attempted to do over the last few months really confusing following the Norwegian’s split from former coach Joe Mayo.

Viktor Hovland appeared to be on the cusp of a phenomenal year in 2024. The 26-year-old won the FedEx Cup at the end of last year, and registered top 20 finishes at all four of the majors, with his best result coming with a tied-second at the PGA Championship.

It appeared that Hovland had addressed the issues with his short game, so it seemed almost inevitable that he would take that next step and become a major champion, perhaps this year.

However, Hovland shocked many by splitting with his coach Joe Mayo on the eve of the season, and his best finish on the PGA Tour this year has been a tie for 19th. He also missed the cut at The Masters.

It appears that Hovland is fighting to find some form ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship and the PGA Championship this month.

Johnson Wagner confused by changes Viktor Hovland has attempted to make

And speaking on Golf Today, Johnson Wagner suggested that Hovland’s roll of the dice at the start of the year appears to have backfired.

“He’s clearly a guy that’s searching, I think he’s since found another coach to go work for. And from what I understand, Viktor Hovland is just trying to get back to where he has one shot, and that’s the fade that he was so good at. And hopefully he gets there soon, but it’s confusing why he would want to make the changes he did at the end of a banner year,” he said.

Norwegian has taken a real risk with the world at his feet

Of course, swing changes probably attract little attention when they pay off, but there have been some players who have really suffered from their attempts to take that next step.

Martin Kaymer, for example, was a major champion when he decided in 2011 to make changes to his swing.

In fairness to Kaymer, he won The Players Championship and US Open in 2014, and, of course, he holed the winning putt in the 2012 Ryder Cup. But he has not won on any tour for almost a decade, so it is hard to say that those attempted changes have paid off.

It is too soon to say whether Hovland will go a similar way, but clearly, it would be a real disappointment if he could not rediscover his best form over the next few months.