Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland heating up heading into Valspar
Viktor Hovland kisses the trophy after winning the Valspar Championship last March at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor. It was the last time he hoisted a championship trophy on the PGA Tour. ©Jefferee Woo Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland have been busy, busy, busy, playing six PGA Tour tournaments in the last seven weeks.
In the process, their games appear to be getting hotter and hotter. Perhaps hot enough to break through for a victory this week at the Valspar Championship on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort. It’s about time for both of them.
For Hovland, ranked No. 18 in the world , it’s been exactly a year since he hoisted a championship trophy — the 2025 Valspar title . “I’ve definitely played a lot of (tournaments) to start this year,” said Hovland, who reached a career-high world ranking of No.
3 in 2022 and won the Tour Championship in 2023. “But when I’m playing halfway decent I feel like (Valspar) is a good spot for me. “… Definitely some mental fatigue slips in there (playing so many consecutive weeks), but the Valspar is one tournament that I don’t want to miss, especially when you’re defending.
” Schauffele, meantime, hasn’t won in almost six months, his last coming in the Baycurrent Classic in October in Yokohama, Japan. Before that, his victories came at the PGA Championship and British Open in 2024, when he rose to No. 2 in the world rankings.