Viktor Hovland Details Possible Driver Changes At WM Phoenix Open

Viktor Hovland hits a driver off the tee

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Viktor Hovland is one of the more insightful players on the professional circuit and, ahead of his first PGA Tour start of 2026, the Ryder Cup star has revealed some notable testing when it comes to equipment.

Playing the WM Phoenix Open, Hovland comes into the tournament off the back of a T14th finish at the Dubai Desert Classic and is one of the favorites to contend at TPC Scottsdale.

Speaking in a pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, Hovland explained his driver situation throughout 2025, stating: "Generally, I tried out the new (Ping) G440 last year because it is faster.

"The spin consistency off the face is a joke. If I hit it off the heel or the toe with a (Ping) G425 the spin discrepancy is very large.

"Like if I hit it off the toe I can spin it under 2000. If I hit it off the heel I can maybe get up to 3000. Versus the (G)440, it's very tight. It goes from maybe 2000 to 2600, so a huge gap, and it's also faster."

One problem that arose for Hovland, though, is the launch of the driver is too high for him and, with the seven-time PGA Tour winner claiming that his miss with his swing is a high-and-right, and that the added launch is only extenuating it further.

"Because I was still hitting it so poorly on the course (on Monday), I texted Kenton (Oates) to see if he could just bring a driver that's quarter of an inch shorter and so he brought a different shaft as well.

"It's in that new (Ping) G440K version. (I'm) Just trying to find something I can put in play, and that seemed to be a lot better. That was just last night, so the experimentation continues."

The Ping G440K has been put in-play by a number of the brand's staffers and has already wrapped up victories worldwide. When testing the K model, Hovland found that it "spins a hair more" than his LST, but overall it's a model that impressed him.

"I would say comparing it to the LST it spins a hair more. Other than that, it's very different because I tried the K from a couple years ago when the (G)430 came out, and I just couldn't get the spin down at all. Like every single shot spun over 3000 for me.

"The new version, it's really nice. It seemed to almost to spin less than the Max version, which is interesting. It's a very good driver."

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Photo of the Ping G440 K Driver — (Image credit: Future)

It's not just the driver where Hovland has been making equipment changes. At the other end of the bag, the Norwegian swapped his wedges from the Ping S159 to the S259, with that move being made at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December.

Keeping with a slightly older Ping Glide 2.0 60°, Hovland explained why he hasn't included that wedge in the swap, stating: "The 60 (degree) I'm still working a little bit with my technique, and that still has to get a little bit better.

"I do like in the old Glide 2.0 that the face is a little bit squarer and just how the heel is a little bit smaller, the sole is just a little bit smaller. It's just a feel thing, because when I try to compare the two it's very similar.

Viktor Hovland uses a wedge from the fairway

"It's just as I'm working on my technique and trying to get that in a good place, I just don't want to bring another element on top of that.

"First (I) would like to get the basic shots down to where I feel comfortable with that, and then I can experiment to see, 'okay, this wedge is a little bit better, this grind is a little bit better.' First of all the technique has to be down."

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover news and social media.

Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round is a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine.

Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?

Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°

Fairway Wood: Ping G430 LST 15°, 19°

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB

Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°

Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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