Viktor Hovland's Short Game: Progress, Setbacks and Ryder Cup Impact
Hovland improved from 191st to 86th around the green in 2023, but ranked 138th in 2025. His short-game progress and Ryder Cup partnership need separate context.
Players Mentioned
Viktor Hovland's short game improved sharply in 2023, but his subsequent seasons show how difficult that progress can be to sustain. For Europe, the question is how consistently he can support his iron play with recovery shots when a Ryder Cup hole hangs in the balance.
The improvement in 2023
Hovland rose from 191st in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green in 2022 to 86th in 2023, a gain of 105 places recorded in the PGA Tour's season comparison.
He worked with Joe Mayo during that improvement. Golf Channel's April 2023 report described a less rotational, steeper chipping motion and changes to his setup. The technical work gave him more ways to recover after missing a green.
The progress was uneven
Hovland ranked 180th in 2024 and 138th in 2025 in the same statistic, according to the PGA Tour's historical figures in its 2026 RBC Heritage notes. Those are season rankings, distinct from his position within any single tournament field.
The numbers show improvement from 2024 to 2025, but they also show that his short game remained a weakness relative to the Tour. A strong week around the greens does not necessarily establish a lasting change across a full season.
A Ryder Cup partnership with a clear peak
Hovland and Ludvig Åberg beat Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9&7 in Saturday morning foursomes at the 2023 Ryder Cup. The official match report identifies it as the largest winning margin in an 18-hole Ryder Cup match.
That result illustrates what the pairing achieved at Marco Simone. Future pairings still depend on current form, the course and the demands of alternate-shot play.
Why It Matters for Europe
For Europe, Hovland's short game remains an area to assess alongside his ball-striking. In foursomes, a reliable recovery shot can protect a partner after a missed approach; in four-ball, it can keep a player in the hole while his teammate attacks. His career so far shows both the value of technical improvement and the difficulty of maintaining it.
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