In the not-so-distant past, Max Homa and Viktor Hovland were two of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour. In April 2023, Homa was ranked fifth in world. In August 2023, Hovland was ranked fourth.
Both players struggled mightily in 2024 and are off to another horrendous start in 2025.
On Thursday, both Homa and Hovland posted abysmal scores in Round 1 at the Players Championship.
Hovland, who shot 80, began the day on the back nine and opened with bogeys on holes 9 and 10 before making birdie on 12. He went on to make double bogeys on the 15th and 6th, as well as a triple bogey on the 5th.
Normal sport 😅 pic.twitter.com/rBpXVg8Bm7
— Marius Thorp (@MariusThorp) March 13, 2025
The Norwegian’s struggles came both with the driver and putter. He lost 3.34 strokes off the tee and 4.19 strokes on the greens on the day.
Homa was better than Hovland, but not by much. The 34-year-old posted a 7-over 79 in a round that included four bogeys (at Nos. 2, 5, 11 and 14) and two double bogeys (Nos. 4 and 9). He didn’t make his first birdie of the day until the par-5 16th.
Unlike Hovland, Homa’s struggles came primarily with his iron play. The six-time PGA Tour winner lost 4 strokes on approach in Round 1
Hovland has missed the cut in three of his past four events and Homa has missed three consecutive cuts. Both players will need incredible rounds on Friday to stick around and play the weekend at TPC Sawgrass.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Max Homa, Viktor Hovland Explode for Disastrous First Rounds at Players Championship.
