Viktor Hovland is showing encouraging signs of returning to his very best after a difficult 2024.
The biggest indication he was emerging from his slump came with his seventh PGA Tour win in March at the Valspar Championship. Then, at the US Open, he soared while many other big-name players faltered, finishing third at the brutal Oakmont layout.
As a result, it was hardly a surprise to find him competing well a week later at the Travelers Championship, completing his first 54 holes at six under par, albeit 10 shots back of the overnight leader Tommy Fleetwood.
Given that gap, it is likely Hovland began the final round hoping for a strong finish rather than the expectation of victory, but after an opening hole par followed by a bogey on the second hole at TPC River Highlands, he became the latest of an alarming number of players to withdraw from the tournament, in his case with a neck injury.
Afterwards, he described what had led to his decision to call it a day early. He began by explaining that there had been no indication of a problem during his preparations, saying: “Yeah, I warmed up on the range, felt great."
However, he revealed that, towards the end of that session, there was the first suggestion that all was not well. He added: “I was just going to hit a little bit last couple drivers before I was going to go to the first tee, and hit one shot and then felt a little bit in my neck, but it didn't, it felt fine, didn't feel hardly anything at all, just felt like something was maybe brewing.”
If that was a warning, his next drive confirmed there was indeed an issue. “Then the next shot that I hit with a driver it just felt like, yeah, it just cracked,” he said. “I don't know exactly what happened, but there's something that happened and just couldn't move.”
He then explained that there was very little time to get proper treatment for the problem, so he decided to begin his round. He said: “I got someone to look at it or do a little bit, but I had five minutes before I was on the tee. There was really nothing we could do. So, tried to play, but just wasn't doable.”
He added: “I could hardly just stand over the ball and move my neck. Couldn't really do anything.”
Hovland’s withdrawal came after Eric Cole played no part in the final round due to illness. Earlier in the week, back injuries forced the withdrawals of Jordan Spieth and Si Woo Kim, while before the tournament, injuries also put paid to the chances of Corey Conners and Brian Campbell teeing it up in Connecticut.
