Just a day after saying "I suck at golf right now" Viktor Hovland proved that he still does have game after shooting seven under at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Not that the Norwegian is suddenly back, instead saying that he was pretty close to not even turning up this week due to the current state of his game - which he says still needs a lot of work.
Hovland is enduring a big rebuild of his game and although he sees some green shoots of recovery he thinks he still has a long way to go.
And that's despite shooting 65 on Thursday which merely drew the response of "I sucked a little less today" from the man himself.
Hovland said that despite his problems, he could navigate Pebble Beach under nice conditions, but is clearly still not happy even when shooting 65.
"You know, I can still play and today was good conditions And I hit a few really nice wedges and started making some putts," Hovland said after his round.
"You know, I'm trying to obviously get my mind out of the technical aspects of it and just trying to play golf. Obviously I can't complain about the - whatever the stats for today I gained probably off the tee and into the greens.
"Looks great on paper. It's just how my mind works is naturally trying to extrapolate what I did today and how would I play over the course of a season.
"I'm still not happy with my game, how it looks, but that doesn't mean that I can have great individual days or great individual tournaments.
"So I'm still really pumped to shoot 65, but I know that I'm not going to just let that overlook the problems or the issues that I have in my game. They're still there, but I was able to overcome it today."
Golfweek's Adam Schupak: "Viktor, you told us yesterday that, although it's relative, that you suck."Viktor Hovland: "Yeah."Schupak: "So what happened 24 hours later?"Hovland: "You know, I can still play."Hovland's Thursday 65 has him a shot off the lead. pic.twitter.com/g4SWTA5o1XJanuary 31, 2025
Hovland is obviously a deep thinker and has an incredibly technical approach to the game, and a big problem as he tries to build his game back up is dealing with disappointment at not having the elite game that fired his incredible 2023 season.
"2023 I had the best season of my career and I know I can play at that level again. And I want to play at that level every single time," Hovland added.
"But I know that as I'm hitting worse and worse shots, eventually you kind of have to be a little bit kinder to yourself and just go, OK, I might hit some terrible shots but let's try to hit the terrible shots in an OK position instead of in the water or short-siding myself.
"Let's try to plot my way around and shoot OK scores and then we can work on things after the round and just keep getting a little bit better."
But although it's a psychological challenge for him right now, Hovland has no intention of seeking help on that front.
"I'm sure there's a lot of smart people and I could learn from a lot of different people. The thing is I'm very technical driven and I know that if my fundamentals are in a good spot and you see good shots and you're hitting the ball where you're looking, it's easier to think better as well.
"But when the ball is going all over the place and you're paying a guy to sit there and say "just be positive," that kind of grinds my gears a little bit. I don't want to hear that.
"There are definitely mental techniques, breathing techniques. Or you don't have to be delusional, but you can definitely change the story you're telling yourself to make you feel better.
"So there are valuable things to mental training that you can do, but at the end of the day if you can't hit the shots that you're wanting to hit, it doesn't matter."
-
LIV Golf Leaderboard At The PGA ChampionshipThere are 16 LIV Golfers taking part in the Quail Hollow Major - here is how they fared in the opening round
-
It Pains Me To Say It But It Still Feels Like The PGA Championship Is Lacking An IdentityThe PGA Championship felt like it was lacking juice on Thursday - what can be done to improve the second men's Major of the year?
-
The 8 Best 'Other' Groups To Watch At The PGA ChampionshipThe star trio of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele grabbed the headlines, but there are some other great groups you have to try and watch at the PGA Championship
-
‘We’re Trying To Put The Best Team Together’ – Keegan Bradley Insists LIV Golfers In The Frame For Ryder Cup SelectionThe US Ryder Cup captain insists that whether a potential Ryder Cup pick is with LIV Golf or the PGA Tour won't have a bearing on his selection process
-
Could Rory McIlroy Win All Four Majors This Year? The Betting Odds Say There's A Chance But What's The Reality?The odds suggest that the stars could well have aligned for Rory McIlroy to have a shot at a calendar Grand Slam, but in reality it's a very different story
-
Shane Lowry’s Expensive Final-Hole Three-Putt Cost Him $400,000 At Truist ChampionshipShane Lowry not only missed out on the Truist Championship but also $400,000 with his late three-putt on the final green
-
Shane Lowry Declines To Talk To Media After Truist Championship DisappointmentThe Irishman made a quick exit after two late bogeys ruined his chances of victory at the Truist Championship
-
Ryan Fox Secures Maiden PGA Tour Title After Dramatic Myrtle Beach Classic PlayoffThe New Zealander produced a brilliant chip-in birdie on the first playoff hole to thwart the efforts of Harry Higgs and Mackenzie Hughes
-
Watch The Moment Wayward Shot Almost Hits Rory McIlroy At Truist ChampionshipA wayward shot had fans and Rory McIlroy ducking for cover at the Truist Championship
-
Sepp Straka Holds Off Shane Lowry And Justin Thomas To Claim Truist ChampionshipSepp Straka held off the challenge of Shane Lowry and Justin Thomas to secure a second PGA Tour victory of 2025, as well as his first Signature Event title
