TPC Scottsdale during the WM Phoenix Open turns into a place of heckles and boos. It’s not just the golfers who face their wrath. Even caddies, announcers, and others have to face criticism for their mistakes. And it’s not only the golf course that gets louder; the heat in online communities is severe, too. Robert Damron, the announcer for PGA Tour Live, made one such mistake by making a false claim about Viktor Hovland, and fans were quite outraged.

Viktor Hovland is playing the second round at the ongoing WM Phoenix Open 2026. His first round got him a decent score of 2-under par 69. At the end of Round 2, he had scored only 1-under par with 4 birdies and 3 bogeys in this round. Overall, he stands at 3-under par 139.

The announcer, however, claimed something that makes his round look worse. He mistakenly claimed that Viktor Hovland had not dialed anything in from the 130-150 range in the second round. He is absolutely wrong, though. The Norwegian star’s stats for Round 2 show that his SG: Approach to Green is 2.931. In fact, he ranks 13th in the field in the SG: Approach to Green after his round. However, the standings may change as the round progresses.

Hovland is known for his elite approach play. Throughout the 2025 season, his SG: Approach the Green stat was 0.945. He ranked 2nd on the PGA Tour for this stat. In 2024, the value was 0.458, and his rank was 18th, the lowest across his entire PGA Tour career.

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This shows that Robert Damron has made a mistake here. Damron is an ex-PGA Tour pro and currently a commentator for Golf Channel and PGA Tour Live. He has covered many events, including the 2025 Travelers Championship and the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. While many people might say he has been doing his job quite well, a single mistake drew backlash from fans.

Fans lashed out at the wrong claim about Viktor Hovland

The reaction from viewers was swift and pointed.

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One user questioned whether the broadcast commentary matched what was unfolding on the course.

“Did the announcer say Viktor hasn’t really been able to dial anything in from the 130–150 range today? Has he been watching?” the fan wrote in a blunt X post.

This reflects a common sentiment among fans who were following Hovland’s shot patterns in real time and seeing consistent proximity on approach shots.

Another viewer suggested the issue went beyond a simple misspeak.

“Nope. They’re doing other things,” he wrote.

That response echoed a broader frustration about perceived gaps between live ShotLink data and on-air analysis. With PGA Tour statistics readily available during broadcasts, fans expected commentary to align closely with measurable performance rather than broad generalizations.

Some reactions were far harsher. “Robert Damron should get put down. He has been horrible,” one fan posted.

They criticized Damron’s analysis rather than the isolated comment itself. While the post was extreme in tone, it highlighted lingering dissatisfaction among some viewers.

Others leaned on readily accessible stats to make their case.

“I guess he doesn’t have access to PGA Tour dot com,” another fan wrote.

The PGA Tour provides live statistical data updated after every hole on its website. It is publicly available on both ShotLink and the leaderboard on the PGA Tour website. Hovland ranked among the Tour’s top performers in proximity from mid-iron ranges last season, including shots between 125 and 175 yards, and early-round data from Phoenix did little to contradict that reputation.

As Round 2 coverage continued, the backlash shifted from a single sentence to concerns about accuracy during live broadcasts. For many fans, the numbers, visuals, and context painted a very different picture than what they heard on air.