Viktor Hovland can’t stop making headlines. 

The 27-year-old Norwegian’s status for this week's season-opening Sentry in Hawaii is uncertain after suffering a left toe fracture due to an “unpleasant encounter” with the edge of his bed.

Now, ahead of the 2025 season, Norsk Golf is reporting that the world No. 8 has split with his swing coach Joe Mayo—again. 

“We disagreed a bit about the way forward, what is best for me,” Hovland told the Norwegian outlet. “I feel that I have learned so much now and have so much competence that I don’t need anyone to hold my hand anymore. It’s always good to have someone to watch what I’m doing, check out the steps I’m taking. So I send some videos to another coach, but he’s more like a consultant. I am the one in charge of my own turn.”

Hovland surprisingly split with Mayo in late 2023 after winning the season-long FedExCup title. However, they reunited ahead of the PGA Championship, with Hovland saying, “He’s really, really smart and just has a way of looking at my swing and knowing what it is right away.”

In May, Mayo reflected on his relationship with Hovland in a story on NoLayingUp.com.

“I admit that I have a very strong personality,” Mayo said. “I am hard to take in large doses. That’s one of my many many flaws in life. I realize being around me (for) a year full time, like we were, is probably pretty tough. Without question, I know I am hard to handle for a long period of time. When he said he wanted to do it on his own, I was relieved.”

Hovland has had over a half-dozen swing instructors since turning pro, including three in 2024 (Grant Waite, Dana Dahlquist and Mayo). But despite the rotating cast, last season was a down year for Hovland, posting just two top 10s in 16 Tour starts. 

“I like that coaching is practical, that you recreate challenges you face on the pitch,” Hovland said. “But my experience is that many who instruct in that way do not understand the biomechanics behind it. And on the other side, you have trainers who know a lot about biomechanics, but who become too abstract and theoretical in training.

Now, the six-time Tour winner will again look for someone new to help him reach the heights many predicted he’d have after a standout college career at Oklahoma State. 

“I have to go down some rabbit holes to find my way,” he said. “It is a process that is not easy, but I am learning a lot. And it is my own responsibility to take in the correct information.”


This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘We Disagreed’: Viktor Hovland Splits (Again) With Swing Coach Joe Mayo .