Viktor Hovland suffers undisclosed injury; out until 2025, per report

Viktor Hovland, one of the rising stars in professional golf, will miss the remainder of the DP World Tour season due to an undisclosed injury, as reported by Ben Parsons of Bunkered. Hovland’s injury comes after his recent withdrawal from the prestigious BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. His last competitive appearance was at the Tour Championship in Atlanta back in August. This marks a notable gap in his schedule, as he hasn’t competed since.

The 2024 season has been a particularly challenging one for the Norwegian golfer. Reflecting on his year at the BMW Championship at Castle Pines, Hovland himself described the season as “miserable.” Despite being just one year removed from his major triumph of winning the FedEx Cup in 2023, Hovland’s recent performances have not lived up to expectations. He missed the cut at some of golf’s biggest stages, including the Masters at Augusta National, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship at Royal Troon. While he did manage a solo third-place finish at Valhalla, his only other top-10 result on the PGA Tour this season shows just how tough the year has been.

This injury might provide some insight into the reasons behind his struggles. However, it wasn’t just his physical condition that might have affected his game. Throughout 2024, Hovland dealt with significant coaching changes, firing and rehiring his swing coach, Joe Mayo. The instability in his coaching situation could have further complicated his ability to perform at his best.

In Colorado, Hovland opened up about his difficulties, noting that, like all golfers, he’s had bad days on the course. “Everyone plays bad golf occasionally, but I feel like I’ve always been very good at understanding why it’s happened,” he said. However, this season presented a new challenge. “Even if I understand why it happens, it’s like, ‘Okay, how do I fix it?’ That’s been a very difficult thing for me throughout this year. But I think at the end of the day, I’ve comforted myself by saying, ‘I’m not broken.’ It’s not my mind that’s gone bad, and I have to, like, ‘What if I can never play golf again?’ It’s like, ‘No, my machine is a little bit off.’ We just need to tweak the machine a little bit, and then we’ll be back to playing good golf again.”

Hovland remains optimistic about his recovery, with hopes of getting back on track before the 2025 PGA Tour season begins. With a few months of rest and rehabilitation ahead, his goal will be to return to competition feeling refreshed and injury-free. Nonetheless, the pressure will be on in the new year. Beyond just returning to form, Hovland will need to perform well enough to secure a spot on next year’s Ryder Cup team, set to be played at Bethpage Black in New York.

Hovland’s fans will be hoping to see him regain his momentum and return to the world’s elite ranks. A successful recovery could mark the beginning of a new chapter in his career, one that will hopefully be marked by health, consistency, and renewed success.