Viktor Hovland has been making waves with his humorous interview style, but another player has taken some pointed jabs at the Norwegian. After Hovland’s birdie putt at the BMW Championship dashed Michael Kim’s hopes for the playoff final, Kim openly admitted, “Viktor and I used to be friends…” Now, with new insights from their shared coach, Kim has renewed his challenge, prompted by revelations of Hovland’s superior chipping skills.

To improve his chipping, Kim sought guidance from Joe Mayo, Viktor Hovland’s former swing coach. On the Sweet Spot golf podcast hosted by Adam Young and Jon Sherman, Mayo shared insights into Kim’s progress. Kim explained, “With Joe, I definitely stood way closer to the ball and had a lot more body turn in my chipping overall. My swing moved from a relatively shallow path—nothing too steep. I even tested it on TrackMan out of curiosity.”

After missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, Kim returned to Mayo’s coaching and quickly saw a turnaround, finishing T2 at his next event—the best result of his 2025 season. However, when Kim learned from Mayo about Hovland’s wedge shot path steepness—reportedly as high as 12 degrees, nearly double what Kim could achieve himself—he was stunned. Skeptical, Kim said, “I refuse to believe it until I see it on the screen myself.” His open disbelief quickly turned into an unofficial challenge, calling on Hovland to prove Mayo’s praise with superior chipping skills. Though the panel laughed, Kim’s message was clear: Hovland must back up his reputation on the course.

Hovland’s skill around the greens is well-known, and it clearly impressed Kim, who was eliminated by one of Hovland’s clutch birdie putts at the BMW Championship. Tour statistics back this up—Hovland ranks second in ‘Approach into Green’ with a 0.945 scoring average and eighth in proximity to the hole around the green at 34 feet, 5 inches. Kim previously praised Hovland’s influence, thanking him for inspiring multiple pros.

Michael Kim praised Viktor Hovland

After finishing T28 at the Valspar Championship, Kim took to X to praise Hovland’s talent, calling him “supremely talented.” He added, “I don’t know if he realizes how many guys he has influenced to make swing changes to a bowed left wrist hitting pull cuts. I’ve talked to at least two or three players (including me!) who tried that because of how good and free he looks hitting the ball. (Don’t try it. It’s very unique and takes a lot of speed and mobility to hit it straight from there, in my opinion.)”

Despite three missed cuts earlier this season, Hovland won the Championship and earned widespread acclaim. His former coach, Joe Mayo, echoed the praise on the No Laying Up podcast, describing Hovland as “one of the best ball hitters walking the face of this earth.”

With the golf world spotlighting Hovland’s elite swing, the question remains—will he accept Kim’s challenge and prove his shallow wedge shot supremacy? Share your thoughts below.