Viktor Hovland is returning to a familiar voice in the Norwegian’s constant quest to improve his golf swing.
Hovland confirmed in a segment with HBO Max ahead of this week’s BMW Championship that he has reunited yet again with swing coach Joe Mayo.
The two worked together when Hovland won the 2023 BMW Championship en route to winning the FedEx Cup title. Despite shooting a final-round 61 at the BMW, enjoying another strong showing at the Tour Championship and reaching No. 3 in the world, Hovland decided to part ways with Mayo.
In the time since, Hovland has constantly tinkered with his swing while going through multiple coaches — which included another seven-month stint with Mayo in 2024. They parted again ahead of the 2025 season, with Hovland saying the two “disagreed a bit about the way forward, what is best for me.”
He then worked with Grant Waite before moving on to T.J. Yeaton ahead of this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Hovland finished tied for 13th at the API and again at The Players Championship the following week. The 28-year-old posted a T18 at the Masters and won a signature event at the Travelers Championship, but also missed the cut at each of the final three majors of the year.
Following a T19 at last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, Hovland confirmed he has reunited with Mayo.
“I already feel we have made great progress,” Hovland said, as translated from Norwegian by Eurosport Norge. “It feels right. … Joe is the main man now.”
Hovland is No. 14 in the Official World Golf Ranking. More important for this week is his No. 22 spot in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 30 after this week advancing to the Tour Championship.
“It’s the tournament leading into the Tour Championship, and it’s a very important week, but I really enjoy a lot of the courses that the BMW Championship has gone to,” Hovland said Tuesday. “… If you hit the ball long and straight, if your iron game is on point, you’re going to go pretty far in this event. And then it kind of comes down to how many putts you make.”
Well known for tinkering with his swing for the past few years, Hovland was asked Tuesday if his family, coach or other team members have told him he’s being too hard on himself as he chases the top form he had in 2023.
“Yeah, no, I’ve heard that a few times,” he admitted. “I think it comes from a good place. I really appreciate hearing, especially from people around me. One thing is watching on social media or people that you don’t know, I don’t really tend to take that with that much value. But when it comes from people in my closest circle, I really listen and pay attention to that.
“… You’re always thinking, like, how can this get better and better and better. And if I hit a terrible shot and get lucky and make a birdie, it’s like, ‘OK, well the next time, if I’m not lucky,’ you know. You always got to think that way. Especially when I know how good it can be, it’s even more frustrating when you don’t execute the way you want to.
“So, yeah, I don’t know, that’s just kind of how I solve through this. It’s like I have to be hard on myself to wanting to get up the next day and solve these problems. If everything is just happy-go-lucky and everything’s all right, which it is, my life’s good, but I have still got problems, I’ve still got things to solve. I think if you don’t want to solve them, then I feel like you’re kind of wasting your time.”
He will now be working to solve them — at least on the golf course — back with Mayo.
“I’ve seen a lot of coaches and heard a lot of different things,” Hovland said. “There are so many smart people out there, but there’s something about the way he (Mayo) absorbs information and the way he relates it to me.
“It really resonates with me.”
