YouTube golf star Rick Shiels has made an interesting suggestion about Viktor Hovland after the Norwegian reunited with his former coach, Joseph Mayo.
The 26-year-old enjoyed an emphatic return to form at Valhalla, finishing solo third on 18-under-par, three shots back from winner Xander Schauffele.
Before the year’s second major, Hovland had endured struggles with his swing after making numerous alterations after his Tour Championship victory at East Lake.
He even admitted that he nearly pulled out of the tournament before Thursday’s first round due to his poor form.
However, after quietly reuniting with Mayo, Hovland’s decision to compete at Valhalla turned out to be the correct one.
Rick Shiels makes interesting prediction about Viktor Hovland and Joseph Mayo
YouTube golf star Shiels, speaking on the Rick Shiels Golf Show, has made a very interesting claim about Hovland’s latest coach alteration.
Shiels started by highlighting Mayo’s outlandish presence on social media.
He explained: “Do you know what will be interesting with that storyline? Joseph Mayo is quite vocal on social media, and it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a bit of a fracturing of the relationship because of how vocal Joseph Mayo is on social media.”
The YouTuber went on to suggest Hovland has asked Mayo to tone down his vocal online presence; he added: “Since he has got back with him, I checked it last night, and there was no communication of it at all. So there might have been a ‘listen, I’ll work with you again, but just tone it down’.
“Viktor had a putt on the last hole to get to 20 under; he just missed it, which was a shame, which was incredible.”
Don’t change what’s not broken, and Viktor Hovland has found out the hard way
Golf, as we all know, can be one of the most frustrating sports on the planet. From those playing on a high handicap to those competing for the PGA Championship late into the final round, the pursuit of perfection will never end.
Hovland is the prime example of trying to mend what isn’t broken. The Norwegian was among the game’s elite last year before he looked to fine-tune his swing once more.
Perfection isn’t possible in the game of golf. Hitting the desired shot, chip or putt every single time cannot happen.
The Norwegian must get back to working with what he’s got, which is at an elite level. Now that he’s returned to Mayo, a repeat performance at Pinehurst No.2 in the upcoming U.S. Open wouldn’t come as a surprise.
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