Viktor Hovland Withdraws From WM Phoenix Open As DP World Tour Pro Set For First PGA Tour Start Since Earning Card

Hovland will no longer tee it up at the TPC Scottsdale event, despite initially being named in the field, with his place going to Paul Waring

Viktor Hovland at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mike Hall
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Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from next week’s WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, with the Norwegian’s place in the field taken by Paul Waring.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.

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.

Viktor Hovland with the FedEx Cup trophy

Viktor Hovland won the 2023 FedEx Cup, but has largely struggled since

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

Paul Waring takes a shot at the Dubai Desert Classic

Paul Waring will make his first PGA Tour appearance since earning a card

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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