Viktor Hovland's reason for Waste Management withdrawal after Pebble Beach woes
Viktor Hovland has pulled out of the Waste Management Phoenix Open after a miserable weekend at Pebble Beach, as his slow start to the year continues.
The Norwegian, ranked No. 4 in the Official Golf World Ranking, finished tied for 58th at the AT&T Pro-Am, which was curtailed after three days due to poor weather in California. Hovland finished well off the pace at Pebble Beach, finishing at three-under-par, 14 shots adrift of winner Wyndham Clark.
Hovland was in sensational form last year, winning four times including The Memorial, the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship, topping the FedEx Cup standings and banking the $18million (£14.4m) prize.
He also played a pivotal role in Europe's Ryder Cup triumph at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, bringing home 3.5 points from his five matches as Luke Donald's team regained the trophy.
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But the 26-year-old has made a sluggish start to 2024, playing in just two events. Hovland finished tied for 22nd at The Sentry in Kapalua, Hawaii before taking a month off leading into Pebble Beach. But his game is not where he wants it to be heading into major season, failing to go low in friendly scoring conditions and finishing near the bottom end of the leaderboard.
The PGA Tour has confirmed Hovland has withdrawn from the Waste Management at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, and Norwegian commentator Marius Thorp has revealed Hovland has opted for a week on the range in Florida to tidy up his game.
Hovland has made a sluggish start to 2024 (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Hovland, he says, does not "feel comfortable" with his swing in tournament play and wants to iron out his issues before teeing it up at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on February 15.
Hovland has been replaced in the 150-man field by Victor Perez, with top-10 players Scottie Scheffler, Clark, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick and Brian Harman also teeing it up in Arizona. Raucous crowds are expected for a PGA Tour event like no other, with wild scenes in the stands giving the tournament its unique flavour.
Hovland faced questions ahead of the AT&T Pro-Am about his future with the PGA Tour with speculation that he could be LIV Golf's next marquee signing, but he said the rumours were "not true".
He said on the FORE podcast in December: “If I had gone to LIV, I don’t think I would have become a better golfer, and then it is, in a way, end of discussion. You need the competition with 150 players and a cut. If you don’t play well enough, you’re out. There is something about it that makes your game a little sharper.”
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