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Jon Rahm’s decision to defect to LIV Golf was the onus for a fresh wave of Discourse concerning the existential crisis the PGA Tour may be facing over worries it’s only a matter of time before other stars opt for the massive paycheck he’ll be earning. It doesn’t sound like Viktor Hovland will be one of them, but he wasn’t shy about airing his grievances in a recent interview.
Viktor Hovland currently occupies the fourth spot in the Official World Golf Rankings and has firmly emerged as one of the most likable and promising young talents on the PGA Tour.
The 26-year-old Norwegian racked up three victories on that particular circuit during a 2022-23 season where he walked away with the $18 million that was reserved for the winner of the FedEx Cup, which he secured at East Lake Golf Club at the end of August.
Hovland has earned more than $26 million thanks to his performance on the course since joining the PGA Tour in 2020, and while it appears he’ll be remaining with the organization instead of becoming the latest player to make the leap to LIV Golf, he recently became the latest pro to make it pretty clear he’s not thrilled with the current state of affairs.
According to Sports Illustrated, Hovland recently appeared on a podcast in his native country and seemed to shut down the notion he could take his talents to LIV, saying:
“If I had gone to LIV, I don’t think I would have become a better golfer—and then it is, in a way, the end of the discussion.”
He added ” I can’t blame people who make that decision and go over there” before turning his attention to the PGA Tour. While he didn’t call out commissioner Jay Monahan by name, he did assert that “the management of the PGA Tour has done such a bad job” before elaborating a bit:
“I’m not complaining about the position I’m in, and I’m very grateful for everything. But the management has not done a good job. They almost see the players as labor, and not as part of the members. After all, we are the PGA Tour. Without the players, there is nothing.
When you get to see what happens behind closed doors, how the management actually makes decisions, which are not in the players’ best interest, but best for themselves and what they think is best…
They are businessmen who say ‘No, it should look like this and that.’ There is a great deal of arrogance behind it all.”
Dang, Viktor. Tell us how you really feel.