It was laborious to inform that Viktor Hovland had simply gained the Valspar Championship. Positive, the trademark broad grin that has endeared him to PGA Tour followers was again as he walked off the course, however in his post-match interview, he sounded virtually baffled by how he’d managed to drag it off—maybe probably the most stunned individual within the room.
As is custom, any golfer who wins with the Masters on the horizon is straight away requested about their possibilities of slipping on the inexperienced jacket. Hovland, nevertheless, wasted no time in downplaying his prospects, telling reporters that his sport wasn’t the place it wanted to be for Augusta Nationwide—whereas nonetheless clutching the Valspar Championship trophy.
Can Hovland Win the Masters?
Sure, Hovland has a disarming self-deprecating humour, however his pessimistic evaluation isn’t far off from what you’ll see if you happen to’re betting on sports this spring. Though he gained the Valspar Championship, the bookmakers don’t see a Masters win for him on the playing cards this yr.
At present, the newest golf betting markets value the Norwegian at a speculative 33/1 to win the Masters. It’d occur, however most likely gained’t is the takeaway. As a substitute, Scottie Scheffler is the bookies favorite at odds of 9/2, with Rory McIlroy second at 6/1.
Though you will be certain loads of followers will probably be backing the 27-year-old to win the Masters, his victory on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook was a reminder that, with the 2025 model of Hovland, you by no means fairly know what to anticipate.
A Week is a Lengthy Time in Golf
Only a week earlier, the Norwegian had shot an 80 at The Gamers Championship, missed the reduce, and virtually withdrew from the Valspar Championship altogether. It was solely a midweek swing repair together with his coach, Grant Waite, that satisfied him to honour his dedication at Innisbrook.
The remaining, as they are saying, is history. However Hovland’s fixed tinkering together with his swing—and his behavior of parting methods with the very coaches who’ve introduced him success—has left him scrambling for solutions. His dismissal of Joe Mayo, the coach who guided him to his Tour Championship win and a £14 million payday, is a working example.
Heading into the Valspar, Hovland hadn’t made a single reduce in 2025 and, by his personal admission, now not knew repair his swing. Because of this, journalists couldn’t assist however ask whether or not he regretted all of the adjustments.
It wasn’t the primary time Hovland had confronted this query, and by now, you get the sense that it irks him. The Norwegian was fast to push again, insisting that skilled golfers ought to spend each waking second attempting to enhance—as a result of that’s what they’re paid to do.
It’s a legitimate level. However how a lot enchancment do you actually need once you’re already sitting at the summit of the PGA Tour, as Hovland was on the finish of 2023?
Maybe the reply will solely grow to be clear as soon as he retires. If he’s gained a handful of majors by then, the controversy might fade. However there’ll at all times be that lingering query—what number of extra may he have gained if he had merely caught with what made him profitable?
The one certainty is that Viktor Hovland refuses to accept being merely good, which he believes is the impediment to true greatness. That relentless pursuit may result in his downfall, or it would simply land him a inexperienced jacket at Augusta.
