All Viktor Hovland did last summer was win the BMW Championship, the FedEx Cup and play a dominating role in Europe’s resounding Ryder Cup victory in Rome.
Golf had found its new king, a smiling Norwegian with a curiosity as deep and rich as his talent.
With the help of coach Joe Mayo, who joined the team last year, Hovland transformed his sketchy short game into an asset rather than a liability.
So, what did Hovland do?
He parted ways with Mayo, an admittedly strong-minded guy who acknowledges a little of him can go a long way. Coincidentally or not, Hovland’s performance plummeted.
It was as if Mayo took Hovland’s magic dust with him when he left.
Sound familiar?
Collin Morikawa won two major championships in short order and seemed slump-proof thanks in part to his long-time coach, Rick Sessinghaus. But last year, Morikawa traded Sessinghaus for Mark Blackburn, chasing a fresh look while searching for his old feels.
It worked for a time but then went flat, so Morikawa moved away from Blackburn, conceding that what worked in the short term was not a long-term solution.
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