Viktor Hovland Is Thinking About Aliens And What The Afterlife May Bring Ahead Of The Open

Viktor Hovland is different, and not just because he's one of the most talented golfers walking the planet at the moment. To say that the Norwegian marches to the beat of his own drum wouldn't do him justice, and his approach to not only his golf game but to life has come to the forefront over the last year.

This week's Open Championship will mark Hovland's 13th start of 2024, which is a much lower number compared to the vast majority of other PGA Tour players, including fellow top players who have the luxury of playing a limited schedule. In his 12 starts he's managed just one Top 10 finish, which is stunning given that he won two of his final three events in 2023 en route to hoisting the FedEx Cup trophy.

Hovland was inching incredibly close to the top of golf's mountaintop, he had revolutionized his short game, and it felt as if he could become the No. 1 ranked player in the world in 2024. Scottie Scheffler has had something to say about that given his historically great campaign, but Hovland was still one of ‘the guys.’

Now, less than 12 months after winning the FedEx Cup, he's a total mystery.

The 26-year-old recently spoke with Tom Kershaw of The Times and gave us an inside look inside his unique mind. 

In a preview of just how bizarre yet highly entertaining the interview became, Hovland admitted that he fired his coach Joseph Mayo - who may be just as unique of a person as Hovland is - back in November because he felt like he had too much control over his golf swing.

In other words, Hovland was in such a positive place with his swing that he canned Mayo, who turned the former Oklahoma State star's short game into a real weapon, because things were going too well for his liking.

"It sounds stupid to say, but I just felt like I had a little too much control of it," Hovland says. "It was too dependent, for example, on my short game being really good or timing. I felt I had a more repeatable pattern a couple of years prior. I’m a very curious guy. For my own sake, I wanted to know what’s on the other side."

When Hovland says he wants to know what's on "the other side," he means that literally.

Viktor Hovland wants to know the deal with aliens and the afterlife. Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Hovland Wants To Know What Happens When We Die

During his sitdown with Kershaw, Hovland himself started asking questions, wild ones.

"The conspiracy is one thing but then also the reaction to it. What do you think happens after we die? We don’t know. The establishment will say, ‘Your neurons will stop firing. Your body will rot.’ OK, that’s one explanation but, if you look at our ancestors, there’s a huge culture that goes into preparing for the afterlife. Were they just idiots or were they onto something? I’m just curious to find out. We’ve gotten sold that we have all the answers but there’s just so much we don’t know. I find those questions super motivating and I just want to figure it out."

Aliens also entered the conversation.

"It’s like, what is the deal with all the aliens?" Hovland asks. "There seem to be some pilots and commanders that explain what they saw and have video footage of it, so it’s like, ‘Huh, what is that?’ I find the reluctance to talk about that stuff fascinating."

Yes, fascinating is the perfect word to describe Hovland.

It's a complete guess at this point to know what version of Hovland will show up at Royal Troon this week. He quietly re-hired Mayo ahead of the PGA Championship and finished third that week but then missed the cut at the U.S. Open and finished T-46 a week ago at the Scottish Open.