Viktor Hovland is one of many PGA Tour pros making changes for the new year.
Prior to “The Sentry,'' he and his swing coach, Joe Mayo, We no longer work together, By Todd Lewis of Golf Channel.
“Viktor Hovland will no longer work with swing coach Joe Mayo,” Lewis wrote. “Hovland did not want to go into details about the breakup. Last year, Viktor worked with Mayo to change the mechanics of his short game, improving his position by 91 in strokes gained around the greens in 2022-2023. .”
Viktor Hovland no longer works with swing coach Joe Mayo. Hovland did not want to go into details about the breakup. Last year, Victor worked with Mayo to change the mechanics of his short game, improving his position by 91 in strokes gained around the greens in 2022-2023.
— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) January 3, 2024
Perhaps Hovland's biggest change last season was his short game.
People knew Hovland's weakness after his iconic quote after winning his first PGA Tour victory in 2020: “I'm not good at chipping.”
The two began working together in early 2023, and the six-time PGA Tour winner slowly but surely began to show improvement.
His victory at Memorial put him on everyone's radar. This was his first big win and showed how much his short game has improved.
After the victory at Memorial, his lowest finish was T29 at the Travelers. He finished tied for 25th at the Genesis Scottis Open and then finished T13 in consecutive tournaments. The Norwegian then went on a winning streak in the event, culminating with a FedEx Cup win.
Hovland's short game was on full display at the Ryder Cup, and his momentum didn't stop there. He and Ludwig Oberg historically defeated the No. 9 and No. 7 of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, helping Team Europe dominate the Americans and regain the Ryder Cup.
The 26-year-old took an extended break after the Ryder Cup and returned to action at Tiger Woods' Christmas event, the Hero World Challenge. Even though he posted a 63 on Sunday, his lowest score of the week, and finished 10th, he wasn't satisfied. After all, he is a self-proclaimed perfectionist.
Now, he enters the opening tournament of the 2024 PGA Tour season as perhaps the best player in the world. That makes this breakup all the more surprising. Mayo's concept seemed to align with Hovland's approach to golf.
If he wins this week, Hovland will become the fourth player in the past 15 years to win three straight on the PGA Tour. He joins Tiger Woods in 2008, Rory McIlroy in 2014, and most recently Dustin Johnson in 2017.
But could there be problems if he and Mayo part ways, or will this move be a positive for Hovland in the long run?
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
