Aside from Jon Rahm due to his move to LIV Golf, considering that anything can happen in Roryland and not yet knowing that Xander Schauffele‘s breakthrough was imminent, Viktor Hovland ended the year 2023 as the strongest candidate to challenge the world’s Number One, Scottie Scheffler. The Norwegian finished third in the PGA, seventh in the Masters and his worst result in a Major was 19th. In addition, he also finished third in THE PLAYERS and ended the year on a high, winning the FedEx Cup.
Just seven months later he hasn’t won a tournament, has only played 13 weeks, yes, he was third in the PGA at Valhalla, but missed the cut in the other three Majors and is almost going unnoticed at the Olympic Games. What is the reason for this low profile of the Nordic golfer? Is it a plan? A diversionary tactic? Or does it simply reflect a reality?
These are the first Games he has participated in and it doesn’t seem like something that excites him. He arrived in Paris on Tuesday, has not seen any sport live and has only trained at the Golf National in Paris this Wednesday. At least he has stayed in the Olympic Village, along with his partner Kris Ventura and the tennis player Casper Ruud. Of course, some will think, why more days if he knows it inside out. Negative. It’s the first time he’s set foot on this course and he says he doesn’t even watch the Ryder Cup of 2018 much on TV. It’s as if the Games were not for him. Of course he would be excited to win a medal, but remember that he is not even going to return to Norway after the Games. He will go to the United States. “If I win a medal, I will have to wait until autumn to be able to walk around my country with the metal hanging from my neck,” he says.
Clearly, Hovland has opted for a low profile in Paris 2024 and it could be for two reasons. The first is because he has worked a lot in Norway since he missed the cut in the Open, he comes with desire and does not want to put more pressure on himself or raise expectations. The second is because he really still can’t find the key to what’s happening to him, he doesn’t really see himself with options and prefers to stay in a discreet second plan, always, obviously, leaving the door open for something to click in his golf and everything to change for the better precisely this week.
We will have the solution to this enigma on Sunday. For now, on Thursday and Friday he has a big match with Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele.
