Viktor Hovland had a freak injury to his right pinky toe, which could have him out of The Sentry at Kapalua’s Plantation Course in Hawaii. In the same breath, or perhaps a bigger headline, he fired his swing coach, Joe Mayo, for the second time.
“We had a bit of a disagreement about the way forward,” Hovland said.
Hovland previously split from Mayo during the season opener and then worked with Grant Waite. The two have different approaches and personalities.
Waite has playing experience with a PGA Tour victory under his belt.
“His knowledge is very impressive, he knows what he’s talking about,” Hovland said. “At the same time, he’s had playing experiences himself. He’s won on the PGA TOUR. One thing is kind of knowing the 3D data and what the data says, but then also equating that to feels. We can kind of talk on that level as well. I find that very helpful.”
A pro golfer will have a firm feel of the game and a mental approach. Think baseball with the eye test vs. advanced analytics.
Now Mayo, on the other hand, went on a more social media path. He has more flair and doesn’t hesitate to introduce bourbon to his golf instruction.
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Mayo was an asset to Hovland’s resurgence in May. His strokes had improved.
Mayo became popular on Twitter, posting golf clips and commentary after he reinvented the modern swing using Trackman data.
Hovland did add more to his statement and said he didn’t feel like he needed “anyone holding my hand anymore.”
The beauty is that he learned plenty from both coaches and the two have worked together in the past. Best of both worlds.
