June 6, 2023. The date that is embedded in every golf fanatic’s mind! What started on this day had to end on December 31, but it didn’t. With negotiations of the $3 billion merger ongoing, Greg Norman has been eyeing to recruit top PGA Tour professionals. And for this, he is a man on a mission. The Australian revealed he “sat down with one top, top PGA Tour player in his house, with another member of my team, and walked him through the whole process.” Though that member of the Tour later rejected the offer, they were impressed with LIV Golf.

The consistent absence of Norwegian golfer Viktor Hovland has led to speculation that he was the one who met with Norman. Although the 69-year-old shared that the pro told him, “I’ve decided to stay where I’m at,” Norman assured them with five simple words: “The door is always open,” adding that if they ever changed their mind, and wanted to “come back and have another conversation,” he will be happy to do that. But what led to Hovland becoming a suspect?

Last December, Jon Rahm’s defection to the Saudi-backed league shocked the entire golf community. Ever since then, rumors about Hovland, the Spaniard’s Ryder Cup teammate, took a life of their own. And now, in light of Hovland’s PGA Tour events and his recent move further heightened the defection speculations. At THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, the Norwegian is missing from the field. It is the seventh PGA Tour event in a row that Hovland won’t be participating in, and the reason, like every other withdrawal, remains unknown.

The last time Viktor Hovland played at a PGA Tour-sanctioned event was at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He also played at the Masters and brutally missed the cut. Then, Hovland was expected to play at the RBC Heritage, the ninth signature event of the PGA Tour, but at the last moment, he withdrew. At the Zurich Classic, where fellow European players Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry played and won, he didn’t feature either.

Hovland frustratingly did the same after his T58 finish at Pebble Beach. At that time, former Tour professional Henrik Bjornstad came to his defense and said, “He was frustrated throughout the previous tournament. He was frustrated and cursed all the time, and it didn’t seem like he found either part satisfying.” One may assume that he’s been staying true to his words from the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this year: “I’ve tried to prioritize just being home and practicing. Don’t really want to fight through something while playing,” he’s said. But could that be the only reason?

Considering what he said about the current golf scene – with the PGA Tour-LIV Golf tussle – there could be more than what meets the eye. “So, you know, it’s, yeah. I don’t know what the path forward is, to be honest. It’s been a little sad, but I try not to think about it too much. It’s a little comical, to be honest, to see what’s going on in the game of golf. But I hope there’s a resolution in the future,” expressed Viktor Hovland.

Industry insider Matt Fisher also talked about Hovland’s probable defection. “Rumor is he’s the player that will be signing with LIV any second now if he hasn’t already. From all I have to go on, we have, ‘Viktor Hovland will be signing with LIV.’ He will be part of the Cleeks team and will have 25% ownership of that team,” said Fisher.

In the last few months, despite Hovland’s name being associated with the breakaway league, he’s always disagreed with the rumors. The golfer said, “If I had gone to LIV, I don’t think I would have become a better golfer.” When questioned about moving to the Saudi-funded league, he said, “No, I doubt that.” He even expressed discontent with its format and mentioned that it was not for him. But this time, he has stayed silent.

A few PGA Tour pros, including Jon Rahm, who once disregarded LIV Golf’s format, went on to accept the million-dollar deal. Will the Norwegian pro also do the same? It remains to be seen. Currently, his stance on the PGA Tour leadership also indicates his displeasure with the Tour.

Viktor Hovland bashes Jay Monahan & Co.

Before the merger news came to light, everything was good on the Tour. Nobody thought of Monahan as a bad leader, but with how the announcement was made and the talks were dealt with, the outlook changed. Top golfers were kept in the dark about the announcement, which made pros question their loyalty to the American Tour. As a result, they didn’t shy away from expressing their thoughts about Monahan and his management tactics, and Hovland was one of them.

Hovland exclaimed, “The management of the PGA Tour has done such a bad job.” At the TPC Sawgrass, the 26-year-old reiterated his thoughts on Jay Monahan and his leadership. His words reflected that he was still unhappy with how things have been lately.

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He said, “There were some things that were said that have been walked back on, and then things have been very contradictory. As a leader of an organization, I will want a person like that to take some ownership and say, ‘Hey, we made a couple of mistakes, but this is how we’re going to rectify it,’ instead of kind of sweeping it under the rug, which I felt has been done to a certain degree.” 

Although Hovland has not confirmed or denied the recent rumors, his differences in opinions with Jay Monahan and his way of working may lead to him joining LIV Golf. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!