Viktor Hovland is back in Dubai and gearing up to begin his 2026 season at the Desert Classic. But even before teeing it up, the Norwegian star is already making headlines.

On January 21, Hovland sat down with Dan Rapaport and shared some fascinating insights. During the conversation, the two played a game called “Build a Player,” where Hovland had to name the golfer he trusts most for each key skill, without choosing Tiger Woods.

For driving, Hovland picked Rory McIlroy. For approach play, he chose Scottie Scheffler. For the short game, he went with Hideki Matsuyama. When Rapaport suggested Matsuyama might be underrated, Hovland quickly responded, “It’s filthy. Ridiculous.”

And then, Hovland continued with the game. He then selected Harry Hall for putting and Russell Henley for the mental game. And honestly, his choices were hard to argue with.

McIlroy is widely regarded as the best driver of the modern era. He combines elite clubhead speed with consistency and an unmatched ability to shape shots off the tee.

During the India Championship, the average driving distance through two rounds was just over 265 yards on measured holes—far below the PGA Tour average of 303.3 yards. Even so, McIlroy hit 75 percent of his fairways, good for T-17 in the field. That balance of power and control correctly explains Hovland’s pick.

No doubt, for approach play, Scheffler is the gold standard. He routinely separates himself from the field with elite ball-striking and exceptional proximity to the pin at 33'4, the best number on the entire tour.

Well, Hovland’s short-game selection felt like a connoisseur’s choice. That’s because Matsuyama doesn’t always get credit for his touch around the greens. But technically, he’s among the best. His second Hero World Challenge title last year at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas is proof.

It was when he holed out for eagle from 116 yards on the par-5 10th hole and went 18-for-20 getting up and down from missed greens, a remarkable 90 percent scrambling rate, the best in the field.

This pick may surprise casual fans, but on Tour, Hall is known as a flat-stick wizard. Remember his performance at the 2025 BMW Championship? It was when he rolled in a 33-foot birdie putt on the par-4 first hole during the third round.

But There Might Be One Thing Viktor Hovland May Need From One of These Golfers

It's not Scheffler's approach play or McIlroy's driving, but a player he found incredibly underrated. We're talking about Matsuyama.

As Holvand once admitted, "I just suck at chipping," after infamously winning his first PGA Tour event, he let opponents know his weakness.

And while he didn't get numbers like Matsuyama, he improved 91 positions in strokes gained around the greens from 2022 to 2023.

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar