Viktor Hovland gets 100% real on recent struggles ahead of Valspar Championship showdown: "It's a crazy game"
Viktor Hovland reflected on his struggles on the PGA Tour after making a much-needed comeback at this week's Valspar Championship. The Norwegian golfer had some really tough times on the greens in the 2025 PGA Tour season. He teed it up at the Valspar Championship after missing three back-to-back cuts in his last three outings.
However, this week brought some relief for Viktor Hovland, as he is tied for the lead while heading into the final round of the Valspar Championship. During the post-round press conference, the 27-year-old opened up about his struggle throughout the season on the PGA Tour and also about his comeback. He said (via ASAP Sports):
"It's golf, it's a crazy game. I do think for just this type of golf course really fits me right now. It's not like you have to bomb the drivers everywhere, it's more of a positioning golf course."
"I do feel like I can hit some nice iron shots that end up close to the hole, because even though I haven't been swinging it all that great, my stats with the irons have been pretty decent the last few weeks. So at a golf course like this I still feel like I can give myself a lot of looks for birdie," he added.
Hovland played a round of 69 on Saturday, March 22, during the third round of the PGA Tour event. He is tied for the lead with Nico Echavarria and second-round leader Jacob Bridgeman at 7-under.
Meanwhile, this season on the PGA Tour, Viktor Hovland started the season at The Sentry with a T36 place finish and then settled in T22 place at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
However, he missed the cut at the next three events - The Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and The Players Championship.
Viktor Hovland reflects on his performance at the Valspar Championship
Viktor Hovland started the campaign at the Valspar Championship with a round of 70, but he soon bounced back and played the second round of 67, making the cut in the 72-hole event.
On Saturday, Hovland played a round of 69 to jump one spot on the leaderboard and tie for first place. In the post-round press conference on Saturday, he opened up about his third-round performance, saying (via ASAP Sports):
"I'm happy with the score. There's a lot of good. Still a lot of feels like saving a lot of shots, but they're going fairly straight, so it's okay. They're all in play and when I got out of position I think I solved the problems pretty well."
Ricky Castillo is settled in third place at the Valspar Championship, followed by Justin Thomas, Kevin Yu, Davis Riley, Jeremy Paul, Shane Lowry, and Ryo Hisatsune, all tied for fifth place at 5-under.
The tournament's finale is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 23, at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Golf Course in Palm Harbor, Florida.