Viktor Hovland made some changes for this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational as the former Oklahoma State Cowboy, but not the kind you might expect.
Viktor Hovland is not happy with his golf game right now. He appears to be soul-searching and trying various things to improve his confidence.This week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy decided to make a few more changes with equipment.
First he put his old putter, a prototype DS-72, back in the bag after switching to a PING PLD Oslo prototype for the Genesis Invitational.He also made a change with his shoes to help on the greens.'I've gone back to some old Nike shoes, as I feel I can read the slopes of the greens better with my feet,' Hovland said to Euro Sports Espen Blaker. 'They are so light, and actually a bit unstable, compared to the Puma shoes I've been using for a while now.'Hovland began wearing Puma golf shoes in 2023 and inked a deal with the brand last April. However, he decided to try his trusty Nikes again at Bay Hill.The Norwegian golfer is one of the many PGA Tour players who use the aim-point green reading technique. Despite having an exclusive shoe deal with Puma, the 27-year-old wanted to get back to the basics.'These are the ones I've played with for much of my career, so I'm very familiar with them. I feel like I read the greens much better, which makes me much more comfortable with the ball,' he said.He began his career on the PGA Tour in 2019 with the Nike Roshes and made a breakthrough while wearing them. Maybe this move will help him since he has struggled on the greens since his 2023 Tour Championship victory.The 2025 season has not been his best start. He finished T36 at the Sentry and T22 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, he missed the cut at the Genesis.Could the shoe change be a game changer?This month, there are some big tournaments leading up to the first major of the season. This week at Bay Hill is the PGA Tour's fourth Signature Event, with a $20 million purse. Next week, the Tour will head to North Florida for the Players Championship.Hovland shot a 5-over 77 on Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational to sit T55, but the entire field struggled at Bay Hill due to the difficult conditions.Maybe switching shoes will help Hovland get back into contention on the PGA Tour — only time will tell if the change helps.More Golf: PGA Tour Commish Faces the Music, Explains Why He Still Has a Job
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