Viktor Hovland reflects on the state of his game ahead of his return this week

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Viktor Hovland has never been one to sugarcoat how he’s feeling about his golf game.

He broke through early after turning pro, backing up his amateur world number one ranking with a string of wins.

But then came a decision to tweak his swing, which disrupted the flow and stalled what had been steady progress. Even after picking up the Valspar title in March, there was still some unease.

Still, by March this year, Hovland was sitting on six professional wins and was seen as one of the game’s rising stars. However, 2023 brought an abrupt halt to that momentum as he started tinkering with his swing, trying to chase perfection in a game that rarely allows it. The changes threw him off completely.

There were clear signs of frustration at the 2024 Genesis Invitational in February when he shared: “I’ve played some terrible golf so far this year.” And it wasn’t just talk—his scores matched the feeling. Across eight rounds that season, only three were under par.

Viktor Hovland sees signs of improvement in his golf game

Hovland’s 2024 campaign was a rough one, with missed cuts in three of the four majors.

His struggles carried into the following season despite a win at the Valspar, where he still didn’t feel like his old self.

Now, after putting together some solid performances on the DP World Tour, Hovland has opened up about whether he feels back to form.

“A little better,” he said when asked how his game is feeling ahead of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa.

“It’s kind of been a challenging period throughout the last two years, but I think even though I haven’t been super happy with the way I’ve swung it the past couple of months, I’ve started to get some consistent results.

“Played nicely at Wentworth, even had a nice finish to the FedExCup playoffs in the States. And then over in India just about a month ago another sixth-place finish. So things are trending in that direction and hopefully I just continue to build on that.”

He enters this week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge as one of the top names in the field and should be among those expected to contend for the title.

Hovland describes Nedbank Golf Challenge as a genuine test

The Nedbank Golf Challenge is set to be held at the Gary Player Country Club in South Africa, a course renowned for its tough setup.

The field of 66 players will have their hands full on a course often referred to as ‘Africa’s major’, and Hovland knows exactly what kind of challenge lies ahead.

Hovland noted the thick rough and compact greens as key features that will make scoring difficult throughout the week.

“This is no joke, this place,” Hovland added. “You’ve really got to do everything well, but particularly off the tee, it’s very challenging.”