He might not find a UFO, but Viktor Hovland may have found his swing at the Ryder Cup

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Has Viktor Hovland found his groove just in time for the 45^th Ryder Cup?

In a video that went viral but has since been deleted, Hovland was captured before Wednesday’s Ryder Cup opening ceremony telling European teammate Shane Lowry, “I haven’t had a range session like that in two years.”

A joyous Lowry blurted out a four-letter expletive and said, “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“That was obviously really sweet,” Hovland said when asked about his range session during a press conference on Thursday. “Timely that it came yesterday. Obviously this is a golf course that you have to drive it really well, and been kind of struggling with the driver, but it's been a long time since I've been able to stand on the range and just kind of beat balls fluidly, effortlessly without trying to feel like I'm steering it.

“When I went to film it, as well, it looked a little bit different. It looked definitely better than other swings that I've made lately. So really pleased with that.”

Hovland has been chasing his swing almost since he went 3-1-1 at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Ranked No. 3 in the world at the time, he’s gone through a series of coaching changes in pursuit of that elusive perfect swing with mixed results. He’s been working with various training aids on the range all week.

“I get a little bit stuck in the downswing. So I've just been trying a lot of different training aids and stuff to maybe see if I get a feel that will get the arms and hands a little bit more out in transition. Because for me, I just pull it down a little bit, and for me with my pattern, that's really tough,” he explained. “So I've just been trying to, yeah, see if that resurrected a feel of some sort. But I didn't really find that that was the missing piece for me.”

"What is up with that?"

Viktor talking UFOs 🛸👽#TeamEurope | #OurTimeOurPlacepic.twitter.com/wveyX9QCQz

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 25, 2025

Hovland, 27, is making his third Ryder Cup appearance. In Rome, he teamed with Ludvig Aberg for a 9-and-7 romp in a foursomes match over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Keopka. Aberg on Wednesday said he’d enjoy partnering with Hovland again this week, noting that he has a habit of talking about interesting topics such as UFOs.

Asked by a media member to explain his fascination with UFO’s, Hovland replied, “What's up with that? Yeah, that's the question, isn't it; what is up with that? 

“Yeah, just something that I've been into the last couple years. I think I've always been extremely into my golf, and sometimes you just look at your golf swing and trying to practice hard and you don't really get the results that you want, it can be quite frustrating, and I think it's been one of those things that I've kind of taken my mind off of golf a little bit. And then the more you go into it, you just get more questions. It's one of those things that you don't really find any more answers.”

More importantly, Hovland said he feels like he has found some answers with his swing that might work this week and make him a tough foe for the Americans in the Ryder Cup. 

“Hope the weather stays OK so I can continue that feel and see if it holds up,” he said. “I think we've all been there; we find a feel and think we're back, and the next day it all falls apart. Kind of looking forward to try to test it out a little bit more today.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Viktor Hovland may have finally found his swing at the 2025 Ryder Cup