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CROMWELL, Conn. — The temptation is to focus on the number. 61. That’s the score Viktor Hovland shot Friday in the second round of the Travelers Championship. It’s the kind of round that rockets a player into contention and gets people wondering whether another trophy is around the corner. He made an eagle, seven birdies and just one bogey, climbing to 14 under par, only two behind Scottie Scheffler heading into the weekend.
The score was outstanding, but what the score could signify to Hovland is more important. For the first time in a long time, Hovland sounded like someone who believes his golf swing is becoming his friend again.
This is the same player who won the 2018 U.S. Amateur, was the low amateur at both the 2019 Masters and 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach before turning pro here in Connecticut the following week. At 28, he’s won seven PGA Tour events, including the 2023 Tour Championship. He’s reached as high as No. 3 in the world based on exceptional ballstriking and a driver that was among the most reliable weapons on the PGA Tour.
But Hovland has won only once since that triumph at East Lake in 2023. His confidence faded. The player who once seemed destined to battle Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele every week became someone searching for answers. But, Friday felt different.
“It was awesome stuff today,” Hovland said. “Obviously been kind of battling some stuff. My golf swing had not felt all that comfortable. But I felt like things stabilized a lot more today, and I was able to put the ball in the fairway, hit some great iron shots, and putter finally cooperated a little bit more today.”
Notice the order. He didn’t start with the putter, as so many pros often do. He started with the driver and irons. That’s noteworthy because the driver has always been the foundation of Hovland’s game. Entering this week, he ranked 104th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee after finishing eighth in that category in 2023 and 13th in 2024.
But Friday, Hovland drove the ball much better than he has throughout most of this season. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, ranked third in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee for the day and third in driving distance. More importantly, he trusted what he was seeing.
“I’ve obviously been working a lot on my swing to try to get back technically to where I can not think about the swing as much and just step over the ball and expect to see a certain shot shape,” Hovland said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot closer to that in even recent weeks.”
A 61 can happen because putts fall one day that lip out on other days. Hovland acknowledged as much, saying the difference between 61 and 65 often comes down to a few feet here or there rather than dramatically better golf. But trust doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of hours of work coming through when the pressure is high.
When asked if he was beginning to trust it again, his answer was simple.
“For sure.”
Still, there’s reason for caution. Hovland’s season has been uneven. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open last week, as well as at the PGA Championship. One brilliant afternoon doesn’t erase months of inconsistency, and Scheffler remains the man everyone is chasing.
“Obviously he’s the best player in the world, and you know he’s not going to give anything up,” Hovland said. “But yeah, it’s just kind of excitement, to be honest, to have a chance to go up against a guy that’s playing some amazing golf, and should be a really fun weekend.”
Whether Hovland wins this weekend or not, Friday looked less like one hot round and more like another step back toward the player many believed would spend the next decade collecting trophies.
For the first time in a while, that future doesn’t feel quite so far away.
David Dusek is a senior writer at Golfweek covering equipment.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Viktor Hovland had 'awesome stuff' shooting 61 at Travelers Championship
Continue reading...
The score was outstanding, but what the score could signify to Hovland is more important. For the first time in a long time, Hovland sounded like someone who believes his golf swing is becoming his friend again.
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This is the same player who won the 2018 U.S. Amateur, was the low amateur at both the 2019 Masters and 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach before turning pro here in Connecticut the following week. At 28, he’s won seven PGA Tour events, including the 2023 Tour Championship. He’s reached as high as No. 3 in the world based on exceptional ballstriking and a driver that was among the most reliable weapons on the PGA Tour.
But Hovland has won only once since that triumph at East Lake in 2023. His confidence faded. The player who once seemed destined to battle Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele every week became someone searching for answers. But, Friday felt different.
“It was awesome stuff today,” Hovland said. “Obviously been kind of battling some stuff. My golf swing had not felt all that comfortable. But I felt like things stabilized a lot more today, and I was able to put the ball in the fairway, hit some great iron shots, and putter finally cooperated a little bit more today.”
You must be registered for see images
Notice the order. He didn’t start with the putter, as so many pros often do. He started with the driver and irons. That’s noteworthy because the driver has always been the foundation of Hovland’s game. Entering this week, he ranked 104th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee after finishing eighth in that category in 2023 and 13th in 2024.
But Friday, Hovland drove the ball much better than he has throughout most of this season. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, ranked third in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee for the day and third in driving distance. More importantly, he trusted what he was seeing.
“I’ve obviously been working a lot on my swing to try to get back technically to where I can not think about the swing as much and just step over the ball and expect to see a certain shot shape,” Hovland said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot closer to that in even recent weeks.”
You must be registered for see images attach
A 61 can happen because putts fall one day that lip out on other days. Hovland acknowledged as much, saying the difference between 61 and 65 often comes down to a few feet here or there rather than dramatically better golf. But trust doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of hours of work coming through when the pressure is high.
When asked if he was beginning to trust it again, his answer was simple.
“For sure.”
Still, there’s reason for caution. Hovland’s season has been uneven. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open last week, as well as at the PGA Championship. One brilliant afternoon doesn’t erase months of inconsistency, and Scheffler remains the man everyone is chasing.
“Obviously he’s the best player in the world, and you know he’s not going to give anything up,” Hovland said. “But yeah, it’s just kind of excitement, to be honest, to have a chance to go up against a guy that’s playing some amazing golf, and should be a really fun weekend.”
Whether Hovland wins this weekend or not, Friday looked less like one hot round and more like another step back toward the player many believed would spend the next decade collecting trophies.
For the first time in a while, that future doesn’t feel quite so far away.
David Dusek is a senior writer at Golfweek covering equipment.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Viktor Hovland had 'awesome stuff' shooting 61 at Travelers Championship
Continue reading...
