Golf doesn't have to be that complicated. Viktor Hovland only makes it sound that way.
Hovland was confounding as ever at the Valspar Championship. His confidence was so low that he arrived at Innisbrook uncertain if he was even going to play, and then five days later he delivered two clutch swings during the toughest stretch on the Copperhead course to rally for a one-shot victory he never saw coming.
Only the trophy was satisfying.
“Yeah, it's still not great,” he said when asked if he was happy with his swing.
Hovland rarely is. And that's why the 27-year-old Norwegian star could say without sounding offensive how proud he was to win on such a tough golf course “with not my best stuff.”
There is constant searching, not just to win but to hit shots the way he expects. Hovland has questions and he wants answers, and he won't stop looking until he finds them.
He is not wired like Dustin Johnson, who made a career-defining decision to go from hitting a draw to hitting a fade. After winning the U.S. Open and a World Golf Championship in consecutive starts in 2016, Johnson was asked how he went about making such a big change.
“Well, I was just struggling with the draw to get it in the fairway,” he replied. “So I said, ‘I’m going to hit a fade.' And I started hitting a fade.”
Simple, right?
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have had the same swing coach since they were about 8. Hovland has made 11 coaching changes since leaving Oklahoma State in 2019, some of them brought back on more than one occasion.
What hasn't changed is his mission — to hit pure shots — no matter how many detours.
Hovland reached what looked like the summit in August 2023 when he had a 65-61 weekend at Olympia Fields to win the BMW Championship, and then a 66-63 weekend at East Lake to win the Tour Championship and capture the FedEx Cup. He went 3-1-1 at the Ryder Cup, including partnering with Ludvig Aberg for a 9-and-7 win over Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
He returned from a winter's break in Norway and felt lost again.
It was at Bay Hill a year ago when Hovland was asked the difference between winning without his best stuff or hitting it great and finishing fifth.
“I guess that’s kind of the insane part of my brain is that I just enjoy flushing a golf shot,” he said. “Obviously, we’re out here to compete and win tournaments. But I really just cherish being able to hit the shots exactly the way I want to. I think it’s a better predictor of how you’re going to play in the future.”
Therein lies the secret. He can win without his best stuff because he's very good. What he lacks is consistently strong finishes. He has never gone more than five straight tournaments in the top 10, which pales compared with the elite in the game.
But he can contend out of nowhere, such as his third place in the PGA Championship last year at Valhalla when he wondered why he even bothered showing up. That wasn't a threat, more a state of his mind. He also was runner-up at a FedEx Cup playoff event last year.
He doesn't doubt his ability, only what he has referred to as the “machinery.”
Perfection in golf is something to chase, not attain. That's why Hovland was amused at the label of being a perfectionist.
“I guess you can use that word to describe it,” he said. "I just view it as if you put your heart and soul into doing something, you might as well do it right. I’ve swung the club extremely well and I think my ball striking has been really, really good over a long period of time. And then when it’s not doing that, I’m going to work on that, I’m going to figure it out.
“I find it kind of weird that we’re professional athletes and the people that are wanting to improve are somewhat looked at as, ‘Oh he’s a perfectionist, he’s out on the perimeter searching too much.’ That's what we do. We are here to get better and we are here to win tournaments."
That's worked out just fine for Bryson DeChambeau, renowned for going down rabbit holes and leaving enough bread crumbs to find his way out if needed.
Hovland won with intelligent course management and good fortune. He could feel the club being out of position at the top, forcing him to try to save it on the way down. The timing worked in his favor at Innisbrook, particularly that 7-iron to 5 feet on the 16th hole Sunday.
And so the trophy from the Valspar Championship is in hand — his 11th worldwide — and the search continues. He is back with Grant Waite (for the second time), and the immediate goal is to be ready for the Masters. He’s not sure the swing he had at Innisbrook will work at Augusta National.
The chase continues, with no apologies.
“When you're struggling with something, it's just problems,” he said. “And problems are usually a lack of information. I would encourage people to go out and seek more information and try it out for yourselves. See if it helps your problems. And if it doesn't, then you've got to seek more answers. And you keep going and keep going.”
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On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOUSTON OPEN
Site: Houston.
Course: Memorial Park GC. Yardage: 7,475. Par: 70.
Prize money: $9.5 million. Winner's share: $1.71 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Stephan Jaeger.
FedEx Cup leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last week: Viktor Hovland won the Valspar Championship.
Notes: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy headline the field, the first time the Houston Open has the Nos. 1 and 2 player in the world since the ranking began in 1986. ... Both players are making their final starts before the Masters. ... Scheffler was runner-up in the Houston Open last year. McIlroy last played the tournament in 2014. ... The field has 19 of the top 50 in the world ranking. ... This is the final week for players not already eligible to move into the top 50 and become eligible for the Masters. Among those just outside the top 50 and playing in the Houston Open are Ben Griffin and Michael Kim. ... Wyndham Clark is playing, giving the field three of the top 10 in the world. Clark withdrew in the second round of The Players Championship with a neck injury. ... Former PGA champion Jimmy Walker is playing on a sponsor exemption. He has been primarily playing on the European tour since last fall.
Next week: Valero Texas Open.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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LPGA TourFORD CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Chandler, Arizona.
Course: Whirlwind GC (Cattail). Yardage: 6,661. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.25 million. Winner's share: $337,500.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 6-7 p.m. (NBC Sports app), 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Nelly Korda.
Race to CME Globe leader: A Lim Kim.
Last tournament: Rio Takeda won the Blue Bay LPGA.
Notes: Nelly Korda plays for the first time since the Founders Cup on Feb. 9. She skipped the first Asia swing on the LPGA for the second straight year. ... The field features all top 10 from the women's world ranking. ... Korda has two top-10 finishes to start the season. She has six straight top 10s, including a victory in Florida last November, since the Olympics in Paris. ... Rose Zhang is in the field. She is playing for the first time since the season opener in Florida, spending the last two months working on her degree from Stanford. ... This is starts a stretch of three tournaments in four weeks in the West for the LPGA, one each in Arizona, Nevada and California. ... Cristie Kerr is in the field, playing for the first time since the Women's PGA last year. She qualified with 20 career wins. ... Chisato and Akie Iwai, twin sisters from Japan, are in the field. ... Maria Fassi of Mexico is playing on a sponsor exemption.
Next week: T-Mobile Match Play.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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European TourHERO INDIAN OPEN
Site: New Delhi.
Course: DLF Golf & CC. Yardage: 7,416. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.25 million. Winner's share: $375,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 4-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 2:30-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Keita Nakajima.
Race to Dubai leader: Laurie Canter.
Last week: Richard Mansell won the Porsche Singapore Classic.
Notes: The field features five winners from the European tour season, including Richard Mansell, coming off his first European tour title last week in Singapore. ... Keita Nakajima, who picked up his first European tour title a year ago in Indian Open, was runner-up by one shot last week in Singapore. ... Eugenio Chacarra is in the field. He was the No. 2 amateur in the world when he joined LIV Golf, and then he was left off the rosters this year. ... Brandon Wu and Troy Merritt are in the field under the category of PGA Tour players who finished from Nos. 126 to 200 in the FedEx Cup last year. ... Peter Thomson won the inaugural Indian Open in 1964. The tournament did not become part of the European tour schedule until 2015. ... This will be the fifth time the Indian Open is held at the DLF Golf and Country Club. ... The European tour will stay in Asia after the Masters with the Volvo China Open.
Next tournament: The Masters.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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PGA Tour ChampionsTHE GALLERI CLASSIC
Site: Rancho Mirage, California.
Course: Mission Hills CC. Yardage: 7,165. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.2 million. Winner's share: $330,000.
Television: Friday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC Sports app), 10 p.m. to midnight (Golf Channel-tape delay); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Retief Goosen.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Last week: Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Hoag Classic.
Notes: This is the third and final event of the West Coast swing. The PGA Tour Champions will not return until Pebble Beach in September. ... Miguel Angel Jimenez is the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour Champions this year. ... Mission Hills was the longtime home of the LPGA Tour's first major of the year known as the Dinah Shore. It has since moved to Houston, which created a spot filled by the PGA Tour Champions. ... David Duval had the most famous stop in the California desert when he shot 59 to win the old Bob Hope Classic in 1999. ... Jimenez now has five multiple-win seasons on the PGA Tour Champions and 15 career victories. ... Players in their 60s now have won 48 times in the history of the senior circuit. Jimenez is 61. ... Stewart Cink has finished in the top 10 in all four of his Champions starts this year. ... Bernhard Langer is coming off his worst finish in Champions Tour history. He tied for 68th last week.
Next week: James Hardie Pro-Football Hall of Fame Invitational.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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LIV Golf LeagueLast tournament: Joaquin Niemann won LIV Golf Singapore.
Next week: LIV Golf Doral.
Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
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Korn Ferry TourLast tournament: Logan McAllister won the Astara Chile Classic.
Next week: Club Car Championship.
Points leader: Hank Lebioda.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/
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Other toursPGA Tour Americas: 93 Abierto del Centro, Cordoba GC, Cordoba, Argentina. Previous winner: Nelson Ledesma (2023). Online: https://www.pgatour.com/americas
PGA Tour of Australasia: The National Tournament, The National GC (Gunnamatta), Cape Schanck, Australia. Defending champion: Cameron John. Online: https://pga.org.au/
Sunshine Tour: DNi Tour Championship-The Courier Guy Playoffs Series, Blair Atholl Golf and Equestrian Estate, Gauteng, South Africa. Defending champion: Jonathan Broomhead. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf