Viktor Hovland is in the mix at the Scottish Open after round one but as usual with the Norwegian, he’s not overly happy with everything.
Hovland’s entire season seems to have revolved around an open honesty about where his game is and over the course of the last six months, he’s worked hard and battled certain demons to get back to a decent place.
Sitting at four under par for his opening round at the Scottish Open, Hovland knows a good second round will see him right in contention for the weekend.
However, as has become the norm with him over the season, Hovland has conceded that his game isn’t quite where he needs or wants it to be.
Viktor Hovland assesses his current golf game after round one of the Scottish Open
It’s always a treat to listen to Viktor Hovland talk about his golf game.
He is refreshingly honest and often offers a unique perspective on things when a lot of players simply come out with the same answers.
And in typical Hovland fashion, he’s once again admitted he’s not where he needs to be, albeit he does feel he’s trending in the right way.
“Yeah, still not entirely pleased with how things feel, and the confidence level is still not where I want it to be. But it’s been nice to see that I can win at Valspar and have a chance to contend at the U.S. Open, and had a nice week at the Travelers before I had to withdraw with my neck,” Hovland admitted.
“But I’ve been trending in the right direction, even though it still doesn’t feel great. If I can hit the ball most of the time where I’m looking and make a few putts and scramble, we can still compete.
So that’s — when it comes down to it, that’s what matters. Hopefully the confidence level can improve as we go along.
“It’s hard to put one thing in place, but, I mean, like technically, swing mechanics and stuff, I still need to improve a little bit before I feel super confident and just comfortable out there and knowing that I’m going to hit it well every single day. We’re a little bit away from that.
“But I do feel like lately I’ve been chipping and putting it better. And made some nice up-and-downs today, made some nice putts for par. If I can continue to do that, I’m going to continue to be up there. So I’m very pleased with that.”
Viktor Hovland’s results on the PGA Tour in 2025
Given Hovland is still only 27, he is having some career already and despite his up and down form in 2025, he’s actually had a good season.
He picked up a win at the Valspar in March, while he’s also had a third place finish at the US Open to cement his credentials as a contender.
A top 25 at The Masters was by no means bad and he finished T13 the week after at the RBC Heritage.
Hovland’s main bad run came earlier in the season when he missed three cuts in a row at the Genesis, Arnold Palmer and The Players.
However, he seems to have stopped that and the key now is for Hovland to finally get over the line in a major championship.
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