Ryder Cup: Viktor Hovland confident his short game will help Europe

On the 2021 Ryder Cup in Wisconsin, Viktor Hovland was the brand new child on the block. He had an infectious smile, a captivating character, and a tee shot that would go for miles.

However he additionally had a poor quick sport, which helps clarify why the Norwegian went 0-3-2 at Whistling Straits.

But, two years later, Hovland’s sport across the greens is vastly improved, therefore why he emerged because the FedEx Cup champion.

“I lacked the particular issues within the matches to the place you actually flip the momentum round, and you’ll construct on a giant putt or an up-and-down or possibly a chip-in or one thing like that,” Hovland stated of his Ryder Cup debut. “That simply wasn’t there.”

“I feel this time round, with all of the work that I’ve achieved on the quick sport and a few of the accomplishments that I’ve made in the previous couple of tournaments and all year long, I really feel like I’m way more completed.”

Photograph by Ramsey Cardy/Getty Photographs

Certainly, Hovland ought to really feel extra completed.

He decimated the PGA Tour’s prime gamers at each Olympia Fields and East Lake to win the BMW and Tour Championships. In June, Hovland emerged victorious on the Memorial Event, defeating Denny McCarthy in a playoff for his maiden win.

He additionally performed nicely within the majors.

“Even when I don’t have my sport or I don’t hit it in addition to I might have preferred, I nonetheless really feel like I can win or stand up and down from a horrible spot,” Hovland added.

“It’s not like, oh, I’ve to be within the excellent spot to have an opportunity to win the match. There’s a perception and a confidence that I can get myself out of any scenario, and I feel that’s an enormous turnaround from final time.”

That confidence stems from famend golf coach Joe Mayo, whom Hovland began working with originally of the yr.

Photograph by Richard Heathcote/Getty Photographs

“It’s no secret that I’ve by no means been nice across the greens, and to play on the highest stage, it’s very tough to beat the most effective gamers on this planet in case you can’t get the ball up and down, particularly when the programs get powerful,” Hovland stated.

Hovland then defined how he was getting too shallow when hitting chip pictures and getting manner behind the ball. That created inconsistencies and poor execution.

“Across the inexperienced, you need to sluggish the ball down, so that you need to primarily do the other of what you do to hit a drive,” Hovland stated. “When [Mayo] defined sure emotions that I’ve in my quick sport and simply defined how to do this, it simply clicked for me, and I used to be capable of do it straight away on the observe inexperienced.”

Slowing issues down clearly clicked for Hovland, who’s arguably the most effective participant on the planet proper now.

He ought to have all the boldness on this planet together with his famend quick sport, which ought to spell hassle for Staff USA in Rome.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. You may comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough too.