Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from next week’s WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, with the Norwegian’s place in the field taken by Paul Waring.
No reason has been given for Hovland’s decision to skip the event, although he has had a mixed start to the year. The World No.9 finished T36 in the opening PGA Tour event of the season, The Sentry, before missing the cut on the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic.
WM Phoenix Open field updates:Viktor Hovland - WD; Paul Waring - IN https://t.co/FpD2yVsG4hFebruary 1, 2025
He then shot a brilliant round of 65 on the opening day of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am before following that up with a 71 to make the cut.
After the opening round, Hovland was cautious over any thoughts he was getting back to his best after a difficult 2024 season. He said: “I'm still not happy with my game, how it looks, but that doesn't mean that I can have great individual days or great individual tournaments.
“So I'm still really pumped to shoot 65, but I know that I'm not going to just let that overlook the problems or the issues that I have in my game. They're still there, but I was able to overcome it today."
Hovland also admitted he was struggling to come to terms with his prolonged spell of inconsistent form, particularly after a stunning 2023 season, which he capped with his first FedEx Cup win.
He said: “Yeah, well, your expectations just start, you know, lowering drastically because I know what I'm capable of. 2023 I had the best season of my career and I know I can play at that level again. And I want to play at that level every single time.”
While Hovland has opted against teeing it up in Arizona, it has offered Waring his first start as a PGA Tour player. The Englishman was one of 10 players to earn a PGA Tour card thanks to his finish in the DP World Tour’s 2024 Race to Dubai rankings, helped by winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links.
He’ll be keen to rekindle that form after missing the cut in his one other start so far this year at the Dubai Desert Classic.
