To understand the undulations of the Golf of Viktor Hovland, it is probably necessary to start with the limits of his curiosity. They extend wider than the 15th fairway in Augusta.
So let’s go back three weeks, at one time before his first victory in 19 months, and a conversation that we shared in Florida on what he had read.
His game did not go well, but his mind followed his habit of asking other questions.
This means, of course, one of the best golfers in the world was in a rather heavy material. ‘I am currently on The fabric of reality by the physicist David Deutsch ”, he said Sport MailBut that required a little explanation.
“Okay, so he breaks down all in a virtual reality. You have the Alan Turing principle, then quantum mechanics, evolution and ontological truth. It’s a little above my level at the moment, but I think it’s a fun reading.
Naturally, it was. But this spirit always asked its questions, so the book was not enough, which is why we had already spent a little time during this morning in Florida to talk about YouTube. Because what is the problem with all the extraterrestrials?
Viktor Hovland won his first victory in 19 months at the Valspar championship on March 23
The limits of Hovland’s curiosity extend wider than the 15th Fairway in Augusta
He was aware of going too far on such roads on the extraterrestrials, because he knows what it can look like, but there is no shame of curiosity
He asked for it in an interview last year. He was aware of going too far on such roads here, because he knows what it can look like, but there is no shame of curiosity. And this 27 -year -old Norwegian is a curious guy.
“The past two years, they have had audiences at the US Congress,” he told me. “David Grusch had an appointment there and spoke of non-human intelligence and it’s fascinating to think, right?”
Correct, but most of us may need a contact context – Grusch is a former air force intelligence officer of the United States who transformed the denunciator. His claims, among others, are that the US government has led a secret UFO recovery program in many decades.
“If it’s true, what are the implications?” Hovland asked, and if we want to be boring on this subject, if we want to find a trail of bread crumbs that go back to sport, which he said then was part of the wider point: “I guess I’m just asking questions.”
It’s an exasperating game, golf. Perfection does not exist, and the total property of its swing – as they say, you only rent it.
If Tiger Woods could earn seven of the 11 majors between 1999 and 2002, and none of the next 10, then why should Hovland be spared a collapse?
This is where the appetite for the questions is there. Or rather the danger of asking too much.
Because Hovland was among the best so long ago. At the end of 2023, he won the PGA Tour twice in the space of five departures, including the Tour championship, which was worth a jackpot of 14 million pounds sterling.
Hovland was among the best so long ago. At the end of 2023, he won twice on the PGA Tour in the space of five departures
Hovland was a Star of the Ryder Cup 2023 for Europe and had finished in the first four of two of the five previous majors
In May 2024, he had not finished 19th in seven tournaments
He was also a star from the Ryder Cup of this year for Europe and had finished in the first four of the five of the previous five majors.
And then he wanted more. This meant dismissed his coach, Joey Mayo, in November, believing that there was a reproducible and bankable solution in the middle of the whims to hit balls with sticks.
In May 2024, he had not finished 19th in seven tournaments, then returned with Mayo for the American PGA championship. He was third.
But comes at the end of the year, after missing the cup to the other three majors and failed to win all season, he separated from Mayo for the second time.
The search for secrets in the sky is that which has obviously consumed it. When we spoke in the players’ championship, with the masters next week in the foreground, he had missed two stages in a row and was at n ° 19 in the world from a summit of n ° 3.
According to his own evaluation, he “sucked”. But the previous Wednesday, something had happened on the practice in Bay Hill.
“In a way, I had a moment Eureka for a moment and I really hit the ball,” he said, and what followed was one of the most appropriate descriptions of the way the exasperating and brilliant golf may be, from the elite to the pirates.
“I tried so many different things,” he added. “You hit some bad shots, then you want to try to look for something else. You will look.
The search for secrets in the sky is the one that obviously consumed it
Hovland describes the moment “Eureka” he had on the practice in Bay Hill
Between quantum mechanics, ontological truth and the existence of foreigners, we can probably assume that no one looked at stones to find ways to succeed as possible
“But this momenta moment, it does not happen often, especially at this level. It was in a way the first time I felt: “Ok, I know it’s true, and even if I hit a bad blow, I just have to start working on this thing”.
“ `This moment Eureka was to understand how I did, rediscovering certain things that I did not know that I was doing in the past and that I had lost in trying new things.
“People talk about my curiosity and that’s true. But I think it was a little wrong – people think I got out and that I won the Fedex Cup (the 2023 Tour championship) and said: “Oh, it’s not good enough. I need to change everything”.
“That year, I won and it was great, but it was not because my swing was the best. It was because I was a more complete player and I controlled my emotions.
“My strategy had improved a lot, and my game short, and my ball shot was quite good. And then things started to crawl a little more where I could not continue to do what I was doing. I was an impasse. I had to make a decision – either I push myself to do something, or things will end up getting out of the rails.
“I had come to a point where the ball did not answer what I envisage and it is quite difficult to play golf at the highest level when this happens. I will not lie – there have been times of the last year that have been dark and emotional.
“I made decisions and I got rabbit holes that were not conducive to repairing it.
The inheritance of this Eureka moment can be told in two parts. The first is that he was released the day after our conversation and pulled 80 in the first round of the players’ championship and missed the Mile Cup.
A little over a week ago, he won for the first time since August 2023 at ValSpar Championship in Palm Harbor
With the Masters Up Next, there is a temptation to resuscitate the conversation when Hovland will allow and win a major
The second is that a little over a week ago, he won for the first time since August 2023, at the Valspar championship.
“It was quite the fight during last year and a half, so coming back and winning is quite incredible,” was his reflection. “It will just show that this game is pretty crazy.”
With the masters to follow, there is a temptation to resuscitate the conversation around the moment when Hovland will win a major. Perhaps in itself would be crazy at this stage of the curve. A question too far, even for Hovland.
But between quantum mechanics, ontological truth and the existence of foreigners, we can probably suppose that no one searched under more stones to find ways to make it possible.