Where is Viktor Hovland? The Norwegian UFO enthusiast was last seen in Asia competing in the 2025 DP World India Championship. He finished T6 in the tournament, 5 strokes behind the champion, Tommy Fleetwood. Ever since the neck injury in the Ryder Cup, this was his first appearance. And he has disappeared into thin air once again. As per the latest reports, Hovland might not be making any more appearances in the DP World Tour this season.

Norwegian golf analyst, Joakim Mikkelsen, tweeted, “Jeg ser det rapporteres om litt forskjellig, men det har seg nå slik at Viktor ikke skal spille DP World Tour Playoffs. Dette ifølge ham selv.” It translates to, “I see there are reports of slightly different things, but it is now clear that Viktor will not be playing in the DP World Tour Playoffs. This is according to him.” As per Mikkelsen, he has confirmed with Hovland that he won’t be taking a trip to the U.A.E. to play in the DP World Tour playoffs.

What could be the reason behind his absence? The 28-year-old didn’t hint at taking a break from the fairway during his trip to India. Could it be that the neck injury was still bothering him? But if that was the case, then he would have withdrawn from the DP World India Championship as well. Instead, he shared in India that his neck has been better.

“It’s been good actually. Since I haven’t been hitting any drivers, it’s holding up. Still taking painkillers and stuff to keep it going, but it feels quite nice. It’s not really affecting the golf swing at all, so no excuses there,” he told the press after his third round at DPWIC.

Whatever the reason might be, Viktor Hovland‘s absence in the $19 million playoffs still wouldn’t have come as a surprise to some of his fans. Especially after some of the recent reports about him and his history of participating in the tournaments. Let’s take a look at both these aspects to understand why he would have skipped the trip to the U.A.E.

Why is Viktor Hovland not going to play in the DP World Tour playoffs?

This is not the first time Viktor Hovland has decided to skip the DP World Tour playoff events. He skipped the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship in 2024 as well. The only time he usually plays the final Race to Dubai events is when he is in contention to win the R2DC. Even then, Hovland only opts to play the DP World Tour Championship if required.

Another hint that suggested that he might not play any further events in 2025 was that he was not a part of the field for another big event. A few weeks ago, the field for the 2025 Hero World Challenge was announced. While most were worried that Tiger Woods was not named in the part of the field, they overlooked another top name who was missing from it.

Viktor Hovland is also unconfirmed for the event still. Even though there are still three spots open for players to make the tournaments, it’s highly unlikely that they will be reserved for the Norwegian pro. That means the next time fans might see him play again would probably be in the 2026 season.