"He knows my swing really well" - Viktor Hovland back to working with coach Joe Mayo in preparation for 2024 PGA Championship

Viktor Hovland has been a completely different player in 2024 than he was in 2023. Hovland has gone from winning three tournaments and the FedEx Cup the previous season, to not even having a Top 15 in seven tournaments this year.

It is no coincidence that this drop in performance came after Hovland fired his swing coach, Joe Mayo, during the off-season. Halfway through the season, Hovland went back to Mayo to try to reverse his current results.

The reunion happened less than a week ago. This is what Viktor Hovland had to say about it to the PGA Tour News Service:

"He knows my swing really well. He's really, really smart, and just has a way of looking at my swing and kind of knowing what it is right away. I felt like I got some really good answers, was able to apply some of the feels right away, and I saw improvement right away."

The "improvement" Hovland spoke of came in just his first official round after returning with Mayo. During the first round of the PGA Championship, the Norwegian carded a 3 under 68, with five birdies and two bogeys.

Viktor Hovland and Joe Mayo worked together throughout 2023. The coach made remarkable progress with the Norwegian's swing, especially in the short game. Hovland went from being one of the worst wedge-in-hand players on tour to considering this area of the game one of his strengths.

Why did Viktor Hovland and Joe Mayo part ways?

Despite his excellent results in the 2023 season, Viktor Hovland felt that the swing he had built under Joe Mayo's guidance was as high as it could go. Hovland even felt that his swing from previous years gave him better results.

At the time, Hovland had this to say (via Golf.com):

"I just felt like I got to basically the pinnacle of what my golf swing was able to do last year. When I keep looking back at my swings from 2020, 2021 I just really had more control of the golf ball, in my opinion."

As reported by the media, Mayo did not take his split with Hovland badly. The coach described himself as "hard to take in large doses," so the two parted amicably.

Hovland sought out other coaches, Grant Waite and Dana Dahlquist among them. However, his results for the year have not been at the level of the previous year.

Hovland's best result during the PGA Tour season is the T19 he finished with at The Genesis Invitational. He even missed the cut at The Masters Tournament, the first major of the season.

The Norwegian has posted scores in the 60s in 10 of his 26 rounds this season (including the first at the PGA Championship). He has had three rounds of 75 or better, including an 81 (second at The Masters).