Viktor Hovland explains why he just ‘doesn’t care’ about scoring 80 at The Players Championship last week

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Viktor Hovland did not play well at The Players Championship last week, missing the cut after an 80 in the first round.

It’s been a difficult 2025 season so far for the Norwegian, who also exited before the weekend at the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational recently.

Hovland has not been the same player since he won the Tour Championship in 2023 and European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald must be concerned.

The 27-year-old seems hopeful that his fortunes will turn around soon, however, as he continues to work hard on his technique.

• READ MORE: Viktor Hovland shares the only disappointment from hammering Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka at the last Ryder Cup

Viktor Hovland reflects on disappointing performance at The Players

Hovland’s struggles perhaps hit a new low at The Players with a first-round 80 that included three bogeys, two double bogeys and one triple bogey.

He bounced back well with a four-under 68 on Friday but even that wasn’t enough to see him through to the weekend.

Reflecting on his efforts at TPC Sawgrass, Hovland said that he “doesn’t care” about the score and that he’s much more concerned by the state of his game.

Hovland told the media after his second round at the Valspar Championship: “Yeah, I mean, the score itself, I don’t really care, to be honest. It’s just seeing those shots that I’m hitting and how it feels, that’s the frustrating part.

“Because I could shoot even par or obviously I would like to make the cut and play the weekend, but it’s like you’re not stepping onto the golf course and expecting to play well, it’s like, ‘okay, how bad is it going to be?’

“And maybe if you make some putts and miss in the right direction you can play a decent score, but it’s not giving you any confidence when you’re hitting those good shots, because they feel random.”

Viktor Hovland is making progress at the Valspar Championship

Hovland has an excellent chance to achieve his best finish of the 2025 season to date at the Valspar Championship this week.

His steady performance on Thursday resulted in a one-under 70 at the difficult Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort.

Then, in the second round on Friday, Hovland played his best round of the year with a four-under 67 in tricky conditions.

Viktor Hovland’s 2025 season finishes

The 27-year-old had this to say about his progress at the Valspar: “I still don’t exactly know where the ball’s going to start and curve and all that stuff, but if you’re hitting solid shots, that’s a good start, especially out here, when the wind is starting to blow.

“Because if you hit it off center and it’s not flying very well, I mean, the wind is going to eat it up. So you’ve got to start with hitting it solid and then from there you can usually work around what, where it’s going to curve and where it’s going to start.

“We’re still working on it. Still doesn’t feel quite that great, but at least it’s an improvement.”