Viktor Hovland finally won again on the PGA Tour last week after a 15-month hiatus from the winners’ circle.
In fact, Hovland‘s win at the Travelers Championship was only his second victory since the Tour Championship in 2023.
The 28-year-old is one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour due to his refreshingly self-deprecating attitude.
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However, there’s no doubt that he would have started to seriously doubt his own ability over the past two years or so.
Hovland withdrew from The Memorial Tournament last month, and it seemed like his season was drifting into obscurity.
However, his victory at the Travelers turned everything around in an instant.
Viktor Hovland only has himself to blame for PGA Tour struggles since 2023
Golf fans the world over were delighted to see Hovland return to the winners’ circle last week in Cromwell, Connecticut.
He has been so lost with his game over the past two years or so, but his win at the Travelers was a timely reminder that he is very hard to beat when he’s on form.
And the key behind his Travelers win was his incredible form with the driver.
Hovland drove the ball beautifully well at TPC River Highlands.
The man from Norway was ranked first in strokes gained off the tee at the Travelers.
That represented quite an amazing turnaround for him with the driver.
He was outside the top 100 in strokes gained off the tee this season before the Travelers Championship, and he was ranked 83rd in that category last season.
Viktor Hovland chasing distance proved costly
Hovland became one of the shorter and more wayward hitters on the PGA Tour as he fiddled with his swing and attempted to turn his trust fade into a draw.
That was exactly where the 28-year-old went wrong, but the good news is that he has clearly realized the error of his ways.
Viktor Hovland has reverted to his natural shape off the tee in 2026 and he finally has his reward.
The now eight-time PGA Tour winner made such a bad mistake after winning the Tour Championship in 2023 by believing that he could improve by changing shot shapes and gaining distance off the tee.
In the end, the complete opposite was true, and Hovland’s career over the past two-and-a-half years should serve as a big warning to any young players who are just coming out onto the PGA Tour.
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