Ryder Cup player not too concerned about playing 'stressful' golf

He’s won on the PGA Tour this season and finished third in the US Open with a game he’s frustrated about - and now Viktor Hovland is chasing victory in the BMW PGA Championship as well.

Having followed an opening 67 with a 66 on the West Course at Wentworth, the Norwegian is one shot off the lead, held by Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, at the midpoint in the DP World Tour’s flagship tournament.

Hovland talked openly earlier in the year at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic about the struggles he was facing and, even when he won the Valspar Championship in March, he admitted he still has work to do to get back to playing without any fears.

Viktor Hovland acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green following eagle on day two of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club | Warren Little/Getty Images

Six months on, Hovland is gearing up for a third successive Ryder Cup appearance after securing one of Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks for the contest at Bethpage Black on Long Island in a fortnight’s time.

But, even though he’s eagled the 18th on both days so far, made eight birdies and only dropped one shot, it’s still the same story about how the man himself feels about the state of his game.

“It's been kind of the same thing every day, basically, for the last year where I'm just not finding the spot that I want to be and it's making the game a bit more stressful than it should be,” said the 27-year-old.

“But, if I have enough time to hit it correctly and I get it in the fairway, my iron game has been fairly good this year and I can lean on that a little bit. So far for the two days, I've chipped and putted extremely well, so that's pretty fun to see.”

Ludvig Aberg pictured during the second round of the BMW PGA Championship | Warren Little/Getty Images

Hovland, a two-time DP World Tour winner, has Ryder Cup team-mates Ludvig Aberg and Justin Rose among his title rivals heading into the weekend at the Surrey venue.

“Right now the driving has been costing me a bunch,” he added. “Ironically, I think this year has been my best iron or approach year of my career. I think some of that, too, is when you drive it worse, too, off the tee, you have greater potential to gain shots.

“But my iron game has been extremely good this year. That's the tough part, if I don't time it up with a driver and depending on what courses you play and when the misses come, you're kind of at a mercy of what the course is going to give you.

‘I would rather not play the game of golf that way’

“For example, I shot 80 at The Players earlier this year and I won the next week. I would rather not play the game of golf that way because that's not how I used to do it.”

How much of his game is a concern for the player who picked up three-and-a-half points from five matches in Europe’s 16.5-11.5 victory at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome two years ago.

“Well, that's how I played all year, and I still won a PGA Tour event and I almost won a major. I'm not worried about that fact. I just have to get this game a little bit better shape.

“I don't doubt that I'm going to be in that atmosphere and I don't doubt myself that I'm going to be able to get the maximum out of what I have. It's just a matter of what it is that I have that week and that's what I'm working on.”