Rory McIlroy’s simplicity and the curious case of Viktor Hovland

In this fickle sport called golf, the old saying that “different strokes for different folks” holds true when it comes to the pursuit of perfection and immortality.

Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, who share a combined 35 PGA Tour victories and four FedExCup titles between them, offer an interesting glimpse as to how the mind works for some of today’s golf stars in their hunt for the most glittering prizes.

With spring in the air, which means the Masters is around the corner, McIlroy is once again eyeing the coveted Green Jacket.

The Masters has become his holy grail for over the past decade as he dreams of completing a career Grand Slam and joining an elite group comprising Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – the only men to win all four Major championships.

A second victory at the Players Championship two weeks ago for his 28th Tour victory has no doubt amped up McIlroy’s aspirations.

The Northern Irishman’s game is peaking nicely and his confidence oozing, and this will also be the first time the world No. 2 will enter the Masters with two victories under his belt following a masterful win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.

The early-season success has been largely due to a new dimension that he has introduced into his game and approach.

In previous years, the Ulsterman was often reliant on an outstanding ability to unleash ferocious drives that fly a mile, but he showed at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass that a new “three-quarter, three-quarter” iron shot has complemented his artillery of firepower and proven decisive, especially during his three-hole aggregate play-off win over J.J. Spaun at the Players.

This controlled and low-flighted iron shot allows for greater navigation in the wind, which was on full display as he hit a glorious nine-iron into the island 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass which found land while Spaun splashed his tee shot into water as his title hopes sank.

“I said to Harry (Diamond, McIlroy’s caddie) there, that shot is going to take us a long way. I’ve become really comfortable with that shot, so even in conditions like this, I feel like I’ve got everything pretty much under control, which is a really nice feeling,” the 35-year-old McIlroy said.

“I feel like I’m a better player now than I ever have been. I feel like I can play all conditions and in anything that comes my way.”

Seeing how Scottie Scheffler ran off with a stunning seven wins and the Olympic gold last season has also taught him a thing or two. McIlroy is now trying to emulate the American world No. 1 with a similar measured approach on the golf course and curbing what he calls “impulses”, which cost him the US Open title last summer.

“I’m just trying to get the ball in play any way I can, but then also I feel like this week, because there’s so much trouble, just picking really conservative targets, especially with iron shots,” he said at TPC Sawgrass.

“By no means did I have my best stuff but I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world. That’s a huge thing.”

While McIlroy’s new and successful approach has been rather straightforward, Hovland has proven to be the opposite. However, it does appear to be working for the 27-year-old despite frustration and countless hours on the range to find the missing pieces in his golf swing, or feel, that he so craves.

Hovland is a self-confessed addict to self-improvement, so much so that after winning the 2023 FedExCup, he went into a rabbit hole by going through multiple swing instructors and studying new theories and golf mechanics that his form dipped in 2024 with only two top-10 finishes to show for. He is currently on a second spell with swing coach Grant Waite.

After missing a third successive cut at the Players, which included a disastrous 80, Hovland reluctantly teed up at the Valspar Championship the following week and voila, he won by one from Justin Thomas for his seventh Tour victory.

The Norwegian tinkerer insisted he is a work in progress. He added: “Golf is, it’s been my life for a long time, it’s what consumes my thoughts and my time, so if I’m not spending that time to do it correctly, then what am I doing?”