PGA Tour's reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland shared his thoughts on the Tour's management and the magnetic pull of the lucrative LIV Golf series. In a rare, unfiltered conversation, Hovland tackled several hot-button issues ranging from the much-discussed player exodus to LIV Golf, the PGA Tour's executive behavior, and the essence of competitive golf itself on a recent episode of the "FORE!" podcast.
During the episode, Hovland elaborated on his contented position within the PGA Tour before swiftly shifting gears to critique the top brass. "The management has not done a good job...They almost see the players as labor, and not as part of the members," Hovland said.
Hovland then critiqued management practices on the tour that he views as self-serving. "[Management] makes decisions, which are not in the players' best interest, but best for themselves and what they think is best," he conveyed, stoking the embers of debate surrounding golf's current governing philosophies.
While golf's breakout star of 2023 certainly has some discontent with how things are going on the PGA Tour, he currently has no plans of leaping over to LIV. Hovland acknowledged the gravity of financial incentives Rahm faced in his decision to join LIV, saying, "That’s a lot, a lot of money.” Yet, he pitched his tent firmly on PGA soil, referring to the no-cut layout of LIV Golf as misaligned with his vision for the sport’s competitiveness and his personal growth as a golfer.
“I’m not such a fan of, for example, playing without a cut. 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.”
Despite being firmly in the spotlight and a rather alluring target for LIV Golf, Hovland plans to remain with the PGA Tour, at least for the moment.
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