Only Viktor Hovland (-11), the recent winner of the Valspar Championship, and his coaches, of which he has had several in the last year and a half, will know exactly what the player was seeking when he set out to tweak his swing at the end of 2023. He was already an excellent player undoubtedly pursuing excellence… Nothing to object. Although he will surely have learned a few lessons from this cumbersome process.
The Norwegian also capped off a great victory at the Copperhead course by showcasing the best version of one of the great strengths of his golf game at the most opportune moment, which led him, for example, to win the FedEx Cup in 2023: precision with mid and long irons. On the 16th hole, he hit a sensational second shot from just over 170 metres to leave the ball a metre and a half from the hole. And on the 17th, he nailed another iron shot from about 200 metres, leaving the ball about three metres from the hole. He converted both birdies, thus sealing the victory, conveniently aided by an erratic end of the round from Justin Thomas (-10), who made bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes after grossly missing the tee shots in both cases. The American had been staging a formidable comeback, playing very orderly and killer on the greens, and at times it seemed he was going to end that long journey through the desert of almost three years without victories. Today, the rehabilitation belonged to Hovland. His turn will come, although certainly, the Kentuckian is doing many things right in this 2025, and one could not, cannot, speak of a player who was lost.
Precision and determination with mid and long irons, as we said. Viktor’s great hallmark, without a doubt. He was always a rock-solid player, very consistent, who made the great leap in quality when he improved his short game, but those mid and long-distance iron shots always identified him. And today, they secured his triumph in Florida.
For a player of his calibre, indisputable despite everything, it is evident that this Sunday opens a new panorama. If a few days ago his participation in the next Ryder Cup could even be in doubt, today he is once again a pillar of Luke Donald’s team, who has met with him this week. If just a few hours ago, as they say, it was very difficult to bet on the Nordic in the exciting sequence of Majors that are already upon us, today there is no choice but to count on him.
Everything will depend, anyway, on the lessons he has learned in this year and a half of confusion and ups and downs. The first and foremost: unless you are Tiger Woods (and not even then), if you are already a great player, top ten in the world, and important among the important, it is usually better to focus the work on a permanent task of polishing and refining, rather than trying to find and build a player you are not.
