The golf season is long over but a lot has already transpired in the offseason. Since Jon Rahm left for LIV Golf, there have been a lot of rumors circulating about other players seeking to join the two-time major championship winner.
Recently, Viktor Hovland’s name popped up in the rumor mill as the next player to leave the PGA Tour. Hovland had the best career finish in 2023, including winning the FedEx Cup and earning $18 million in bonuses this year.
On Monday, the 26-year-old shut down all rumors of him leaving for LIV Golf by announcing that he will be returning to the PGA Tour next year.
Viktor Hovland Confirms He Will Stay on PGA Tour
In a recent episode of the “Fore!” podcast, Hovland spoke about Rahm’s defection to the LIV Golf and confirmed that he will be playing on the PGA Tour next year. The 26-year-old didn’t hold back and had much to say about PGA Tour leadership and the quality of the LIV Golf.
The biggest news though is that Hovland will be staying on the Tour. The No. 4 player in the world is focusing on his game and believes that the Tour is the only place that can make him better. He’s already committed to the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January and is set to play at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, WM Phoenix Open, and the Genesis Invitational.
Hovland Opens Up About LIV Golf and PGA Tour
While Hovland wasn’t trying to scold either league, he was very honest about how he felt about LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
Hovland also commented on Rahm’s departure from the Tour, saying that he understood why he left, especially with the amount of money on the table. However, Hovland believes the LIV Golf product isn’t great and that tournaments need more players to truly be competitive.
“I don’t think their product is that great. I’m not such a fan of, for example, playing without a cut,” Hovland said. “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. 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.”
Even though he’s staying on the Tour, Hovland isn’t exactly thrilled with management.
“The management has not done a good job,” he said. “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 then get to see what happens behind closed doors, and 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 not professional golfers after all. They are businessmen who say that, ‘No, it should look like this and that.’ There is a great deal of arrogance behind it all.”
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