Viktor Hovland has made an unexpected announcement ahead of this week’s BMW Championship, confirming a major change to his coaching team as he looks to rediscover the form that made him one of the most dangerous players on the PGA Tour.
The Norwegian has revealed that he is once again working with his former coach Joe Mayo, with the two now reunited on a permanent basis.
Hovland made the announcement during an interview with HBO Max ahead of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in Missouri. The 28-year-old confirmed that the partnership is already showing signs of progress as he attempts to find greater consistency in his game. (Golfmagic)
“We are working together again,” Hovland said, adding that he already feels they have made “great progress.”
The Norwegian also made it clear that Mayo is now his primary coach, describing the decision as something that “feels right.”
Hovland reunites with a familiar figure
The decision to bring Mayo back into his team is significant because the pair previously enjoyed tremendous success together.
Hovland’s partnership with Mayo was at the heart of his extraordinary 2023 campaign, when the Norwegian produced the best season of his career.
That year, Hovland won three PGA Tour events, including the BMW Championship, before completing the season with victory at the Tour Championship and securing the FedEx Cup.
His BMW Championship triumph was particularly memorable.
Hovland produced a spectacular final round at Olympia Fields, shooting a course-record 61 to storm through the field and claim one of the biggest victories of his career. The performance helped propel him into position to win the FedEx Cup one week later. (PGA Tour)
Now, three years later, Hovland is hoping that the reunion with Mayo can help him recreate some of that magic.
Why Hovland decided to return
Hovland has worked with several coaches since his previous split from Mayo.
The Norwegian has sought advice from a number of respected figures in the golf world, including former Oklahoma State coach Denny Lucas, PGA Tour winner Grant Waite and, most recently, T.J. Yeaton.
However, despite receiving input from several experienced coaches, Hovland appears to have found something different in his relationship with Mayo.
He explained that Mayo has a particular ability to process information and communicate it in a way that makes sense to him.
“I’ve seen a lot of coaches and heard a lot of different things,” Hovland explained.
“There are a lot of smart people out there, but there’s something about the way he can take in information, and the way he relates it to me. It really resonates with me.” (Golfmagic)
That relationship could prove crucial during the most important part of Hovland’s season.
BMW Championship arrives at the perfect time
Hovland enters the BMW Championship with plenty to play for.
He currently sits 22nd in the FedExCup standings, meaning he is inside the top 30 who will qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake.
However, his position is not completely secure.
With only the top 30 players advancing to the finale, every shot at Bellerive carries enormous significance.
Hovland knows better than most what can happen during the FedExCup Playoffs.
In 2023, he entered the final stages of the season and produced one of the greatest playoff runs of his career, winning the BMW Championship before capturing the FedEx Cup at East Lake.
The current situation gives him another opportunity to make a major move at exactly the right moment.
A difficult season in the majors
While Hovland has shown flashes of brilliance in 2026, his season has also been marked by inconsistency.
His major championship campaign was particularly disappointing.
After finishing tied for 18th at the Masters, Hovland missed the cut at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open. (Golfmagic)
For a player who has established himself among the world’s elite, those results were difficult to overlook.
Hovland has long been regarded as a potential major champion, and his inability to consistently produce his best golf in the biggest tournaments has been one of the more frustrating aspects of his recent career.
But there have also been reasons for optimism.
Hovland already has a major victory this season
Despite the struggles, 2026 has not been a lost season for Hovland.
Far from it.
At the Travelers Championship in June, Hovland defeated world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a Monday playoff to claim the eighth PGA Tour title of his career.
It was a hugely significant victory because it demonstrated that Hovland still possesses the ability to beat the very best players in the world when his game is clicking.
The victory also came after a difficult stretch, making the result even more impressive.
Hovland’s triumph over Scheffler showed that the talent that carried him to the FedEx Cup title in 2023 is still there.
The challenge now is finding a way to make that level of performance more consistent.
The numbers reveal the problem
One of the reasons Hovland has decided to return to Mayo could be found in the statistical profile of his game.
Despite his inconsistency, Hovland currently ranks 23rd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: total, demonstrating that his overall game remains strong enough to compete at the highest level.
However, there are notable weaknesses.
He ranks 90th in strokes gained: off the tee and 76th in strokes gained: putting. (Golfmagic)
Those numbers provide a clear indication of where improvements could be made.
Hovland has traditionally been one of the game’s most impressive ball strikers, but his driving and putting have not consistently reached the standard required to challenge for major championships and elite PGA Tour titles.
Mayo now has the difficult task of helping Hovland turn those weaknesses into strengths.
The goal is to rediscover the 2023 version of himself
Perhaps the biggest motivation behind the coaching reunion is Hovland’s desire to return to the level he reached in 2023.
That season remains the benchmark for his career.
He was confident.
He was aggressive.
He was consistently producing quality rounds.
And most importantly, he was winning.
Hovland defeated some of the best players in the world and ultimately captured the FedEx Cup.
Now, as the 2026 season approaches its climax, the Norwegian is looking for that same feeling again.
He does not necessarily need to become a completely different golfer.
Instead, the priority appears to be finding the version of himself that already proved capable of dominating the PGA Tour.
Recent form provides hope
Hovland’s recent results have been inconsistent, but there have been encouraging signs.
He has recorded four top-20 finishes in his last seven starts while also missing three cuts during that stretch.
That mixture of strong performances and disappointing results perfectly summarizes his season.
When everything comes together, Hovland remains capable of competing against the best.
When his swing and putting become unreliable, however, his results can change dramatically.
That inconsistency is precisely what the reunion with Mayo is designed to address.
Bellerive presents another major challenge
The BMW Championship is being played at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, a venue that returns the event to the city for the first time in nearly two decades.
The tournament features the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings, with the top 30 after the event advancing to the Tour Championship. (BMW Championship)
For Hovland, the tournament represents much more than another event.
It is an opportunity to secure his place at East Lake and potentially launch another deep run in the FedExCup Playoffs.
The Norwegian has already demonstrated that he can win this tournament.
He did it in spectacular fashion in 2023.
Now he returns to the BMW Championship with a different challenge but a familiar objective.
Could the Mayo reunion change everything?
The biggest question is whether the coaching reunion can produce immediate results.
Hovland has already indicated that the partnership feels natural and that progress has been made.
But golf is a difficult sport, and major changes do not always produce instant results.
The BMW Championship will provide the first major test of whether the decision can translate into improved performance under pressure.
If Hovland begins striking the ball more consistently, improves his putting and gains confidence, he could become one of the most dangerous players in the field.
And with the Tour Championship qualification line sitting at the top 30, the timing could not be better.
Hovland’s future could depend on this turnaround
At just 28 years old, Hovland still has plenty of time to build an extraordinary career.
He already has eight PGA Tour victories, a FedEx Cup title and a major championship victory remains one of the biggest missing pieces from his résumé.
The talent has never been in question.
The biggest challenge has been consistency.
Hovland’s decision to reunite with Mayo suggests he believes returning to a familiar coaching relationship can help solve that problem.
It is a calculated gamble.
If it works, Hovland could once again become a regular contender at the biggest tournaments in the world.
If it does not, he may have to reassess his approach yet again.
A statement of intent
Ultimately, Hovland’s announcement is more than simply a coaching change.
It is a statement of intent.
The Norwegian knows he has not played at the level he expects of himself consistently enough in recent seasons.
He also knows exactly what he is capable of.
His 2023 campaign proved that.
His victory over Scheffler at the Travelers Championship proved that his elite level is still there.
And now, by bringing back the coach who helped him reach the greatest heights of his career, Hovland appears determined to find it again.
The BMW Championship therefore arrives at a fascinating moment.
Hovland is fighting to remain inside the top 30 of the FedExCup standings, attempting to rediscover his best golf and beginning a new chapter with a familiar coach.
If the reunion with Mayo delivers the results Hovland believes it can, the Norwegian could become a major threat at the end of the 2026 season.
And given what happened the last time Hovland and Mayo were together at the BMW Championship, the rest of the field will have every reason to pay attention.
