Viktor Hovland is going through a winless slump at the moment. However, out of nowhere, the Norwegian withdrew from a signature event where he’s been successful before.

Hovland has already missed two cuts this season, most recently at the PGA Championship. The World No. 32’s struggles continued at the Aronimink, along with his winless streak.

Hovland has withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament, which was founded by Jack Nicklaus. The competition features a $20 million purse and takes place at Muirfield Village Golf Club every year.

No official statement has been released by the PGA TOUR or Hovland himself regarding his exit, according to Golf Monthly.

Hovland secured the Memorial Tournament three years ago when he beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff. However, since then, the Norwegian has stayed out of the top-10, finishing T25 and T15 in the last two seasons. 

Hovland has finished in the top-10 just once this season, at the WM Phoenix Open. Following that, his best finish has been a tie for 13th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS Championship, in back-to-back weeks.

A missed cut at the Valspar Championship in March and a T18 finish at Augusta followed, and in the rest of the events, Hovland has not registered a top-20 finish.

According to The Golfing Gazette, the 28-year-old has been struggling with his driving and putting this season. The withdrawal from this week’s event could provide Hovland with extra time to address his issues.

With his last win coming in 2025, the seven-time PGA Tour winner will likely use the time off to address his current issues.

A Look Into Hovland’s Past Success On The PGA Tour

Hovland came into the PGA Tour on the back of an extremely successful amateur career. He won the 2018 U.S. Amateur and reached number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2019. 

In 2020, Hovland secured his first two titles on the tour, the Puerto Rico Open and the Mayakoba Golf Classic. A year later, he secured the World Wide Technology Championship by winning four strokes over Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz.

2023 has been the best year of his career so far. As mentioned earlier, the Norwegian lifted the Memorial Tournament after a playoff with Denny McCarthy. He won in back-to-back weeks, the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship.

Hovland’s last win on the PGA Tour came in March 2025 at the Valspar Championship. He will certainly hope to return to winning ways at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club later this month.

What are your thoughts on Hovland’s winless streak? Share them in the comments.

Read more at Club Golf.

Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Sijo Paul