Viktor Hovland, personally, says he thought of three words when he heard that Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, both former LIV Golf professionals, were returning to the PGA Tour.
“Oh, that’s interesting.”
Then?
“Then I just go about my day,” she said.
“I have things to do, things to think about, so that’s about the number of calories I spend responding to things like that.”
Still, the seven-time Tour winner said Tuesday he could understand the move that allowed Koepka and Reed to return. The players are undoubtedly good, he said. But, in a press conference ahead of this week’s WM Phoenix Open, Hovland wondered if some Tour pros would jump to LIV, then be allowed to return “without major consequences.”
“What example are you setting?” he asked.
These thoughts follow the announcements last month that Koepka and Reed will return to the PGA Tour after four seasons with LIV, although each will do so in a different way. Koepka returned last week under the “Returning Member Program,” awarded to LIV players who have won a major tournament in the past four years, and his penalty included making a $5 million charitable donation and not gaining access to the Tour’s equity program for five years or the 2026 bonus program. Reed, meanwhile, will serve a one-year suspension that would have started after the Augable event, meaning it will start after last season. 25, and he, too, will not be able to reach the equality system until 2030. In the meantime, Reed said he will play events on the DP World Tour.
In the days since the announcement, many experts have been asked for their thoughts, as was Hovland on Tuesday.
“I mean, in my opinion, I can say that I enjoy playing with those people,” he said. “I think Patrick Reed is a major and player of the year and Brooks is a five-time major, that’s a great addition to the PGA Tour. They’re great players and I want to compete with the great players out there.
“I think it just makes the products, the venues better. However, it puts the Tour in a tricky position now. You’ve been saying one thing for a long time and now we’re changing things. What an example are you setting for future players now if I can go on a competitive tour, get paid, and now it looks like I’m coming back again without major results.
“I have no idea about that, to be honest. That’s something the Tour has to figure out. I’m sure there are a lot of people who won’t be too happy about that, but ultimately, I want to compete with the best players in the world.
“I’m in a place where I have to find things in my game, and that’s where I’m focused. I don’t want to focus on what the Tour should be doing right now.”
Notably, in an article written two years ago by Tom Kershaw of The TelegraphHovland said he told his agent he was looking at a deal to join LIV, but ultimately stayed with the Tour. “At the end of the day, the question is ‘What will make me a better player?'” Hovland said of Kershaw. “And hey, in 20 years, when I’m at the end of my career, playing LIV Golf wouldn’t be too bad. It might be a great opportunity but, at this point, it’s something I think I’d probably look back on and regret.”
On Tuesday, Hovland was asked if the Koepka and Reed moves made him “rethink any decisions” he’s made in his career.
“Not really,” he said.
“I see the news and I go, oh, that’s interesting, and I go about my day.”
“>
