It may have started with, “I think it’s better for my golf if I play on the PGA Tour.” But with every passing day, the likelihood of it ending with Viktor Hovland jumping ship to the other side is only increasing. Following his Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf in December 2023, speculations are rife that the Saudi-backed league will welcome more heavyweights in the coming days. And as the new season is just a handful of days away, Hovland continues to be entangled in these rumors. And a recent viral video has only added fuel to the fire.

Is Viktor Hovland’s absence a sign of what’s to come?

2023 was a big year for Viktor Hovland. The 26-year-old picked up three massive wins, including the highly-coveted FedEx Cup title. He was also in the Ryder Cup squad that beat Team USA at Rome’s Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. The stunning feats, however, haven’t stopped Hovland from expressing his frustrations with the PGA Tour. Speaking to Discovery’s FORE! podcast last year, he slammed the Tour’s management and their decision-making, saying, “There is a great deal of arrogance behind it all.”

The criticism didn’t stop when Rahm made the switch, with Hovland going as far as claiming that the move wasn’t surprising “when the management of the PGA Tour has done such a bad job.” It looks like the Norwegian has had enough himself. At least, that’s what can be implied from industry insider Matt Fisher’s video. He explained, “Viktor hasn’t been playing. Where’s he been? He wasn’t out in the desert, overseas playing in Dubai in these events. He also hasn’t been on the PGA Tour, at the American Express. And he’s not at the Farmers. A number of huge events on both sides; he’s MIA.” The possible reason?

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“Rumor is he’s the player that will be signing with LIV any second now if he hasn’t already. From all that 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,” concluded Fisher. This is coming after the 26-year-old denied a move to LIV Golf. “You need the competition with 150 players and a cut.” But if these rumors are to be believed, Hovland may have finally made peace with the controversial 54-hole, no-cut format.

The new speculations come just hours after Adrian Meronk jumped ship to LIV. The World No. 39 was slated to play in the Farmers Insurance Open but withdrew hours before the first round. Meanwhile, Hovland last played in the Sentry, wherein he tied for the 22nd spot. Who knows? Maybe Meronk’s switch could set off a domino effect.

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LIV Golf may poach several other big names before the Mayakoba event

With the 2024 LIV Golf League regular season set to begin at the El Camaleon Golf Club in Mayakoba on February 2, the tides are seemingly turning in LIV Golf’s favor, and how! Tyrrell Hatton is another player who is rumored to be in negotiations to join Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII. Tommy Fleetwood has also been linked to the PIF-backed league. However, both Fleetwood and Hatton downplayed the rumors last week by admitting their loyalty to the PGA Tour.

Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, and Wyndham Clark are some other names that have come up in connection to LIV. In fact, Schauffele has refused to rule out a possible switch. “I am not going to pledge to the Tour, and there are only a handful of guys who have done this, but I am not going to pledge ‘I am going to play [PGA Tour] forever,’ and I am not saying I am going to go there,” the 30-year-old told the Fore Play podcast on Tuesday.

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