
USA Today via Reuters
May 17, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Viktor Hovland reacts after a putt on the first fairway during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
May 17, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Viktor Hovland reacts after a putt on the first fairway during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
The $100 million FedExCup playoff field shrinks as it progresses—first to 50 players for the BMW Championship, and then to 30 for the Tour Championship. So, for Viktor Hovland, the pressure is magnified: after a T32 finish at the St. Jude Championship, he sits just inside the cut line at 28th place, breathing down the leaderboard to preserve his spot at East Lake.
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Recently, during a press conference, the moderator asked, “Do you come in with a different mindset being so close to that 30 number heading in?” Replying to that, Hovland said, “Not really. It’s still another tournament. I’ve still got to play well, and then we’ll see how it shakes up. If I play halfway decently, that top 30 shouldn’t be an issue. Just trying not to lose my mind out there if it goes south. Try to mitigate it a little bit and try to just plug along and keep it going.”
Hovland’s resilience, however, showed in Memphis, where he reduced six bogeys or worse to just three over the final two rounds—proof enough that composure can offset earlier mistakes. That regained form must carry forward if he’s to climb the standings. In Round 1 of the BMW Championship, he started strong: despite driving inconsistently (57.1% accuracy), he rallied with zero bogeys and three birdies in the back nine to card a 67 and take the lead.
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When asked to reflect on his mistakes, the journalist quoted his earlier comment and followed it up with a question,“You said you made a few dumb mistakes, but what were you happy with today?” Hovland responded, “Yeah, the irons were pretty solid. I hit a lot of really nice iron shots, especially coming down the stretch. There are some pretty tough finishing holes out there—like 17 and 18. On 17, I hit a nice 5-iron and made the putt, and on 18, I was there with a 6-iron into a pretty narrow green with the pin all the way at the back.”
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The Norwegian, struggling with his drives in the first round, has made a strong comeback despite that. He recorded 57.1% driving accuracy in the first round, leading to carding three bogeys in the first nine. However, in the last nine, he took charge and made a comeback with three birdies and zero bogeys. Concluding the round at 67, the golfer is currently in the lead.
Well, looking back at his performance in the FedEx Cup playoffs, the golfer has never failed to qualify. In fact, he has a record of improving in every playoff season.
Viktor Hovland’s playoff performance explored
Since the 2019–20 season, the 27-year-old has consistently featured in all three FedEx Cup playoff events. In his debut year, he finished T40 at the BMW Championship and T20 at the TOUR Championship. With each passing season, his results steadily improved, T5 in 2020–21 and T15 in 2021–22 at the TOUR Championship.
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His true breakthrough came in 2022–23. After securing two regular-season victories, Hovland delivered a stellar playoff run—finishing T13 at the St. Jude Championship before claiming back-to-back wins at the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship. It was a career-defining surge. Even in 2024, despite Scottie Scheffler’s dominance, Hovland managed to remain in the conversation with strong showings, ultimately finishing T12 at the TOUR Championship.
Now, following a T32 at this year’s St. Jude Championship and an opening-round lead at the BMW Championship, there are early signs he could be gearing up for another memorable playoff run. He also has had a fruitfull 2025 so far, notably claiming his seventh PGA Tour title with the Valspar Championship and his solo 3rd place finish at the US Open. So, the question that begs is, can Hovland once again rise to the occasion with the pressure of qualification bearing down on him?
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