Viktor Hovland has been forced to withdraw from competition until 2025 but will still qualify for the Ryder Cup and DP World Tour due to medical reasons bunker.
Hovland, 27, suffered an “unexplained injury” that will rule him out for the remainder of the 2024 seasons on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.
The European Ryder Cup hero will play in just two regular-season games on the DP World Tour in 2024, leaving him two short of meeting the tour's four-event criteria in 2025.
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In addition to participating in the four majors on the DP World Tour this season, Hovland has only participated in the Scottish Open and the Olympics.
However, a spokesman for DP World Tour has confirmed bunker Hovland was still able to maintain his DP World Tour status and therefore qualify for Luke Donald's 2025 European Ryder Cup squad, as his Counting Championship obligations were modified for “medical reasons”.
Hovland withdrew from last month's BMW PGA at Wentworth and has not played since.
The Norwegian had hoped to be fit enough to compete in the DP World Tour playoffs in November, but his team has confirmed that will not happen again.
Victor Hovland
Hovland has endured a difficult season, finishing in the top ten only three times in 17 events around the world in 2024.
He has failed to advance in three of the four majors.
But he did finish third at the PGA.
Meanwhile, he returned to golf coach Joe Mayo after a brief breakup.
Despite a difficult season by Hovland's own high standards, Hovland dropped just four spots in the 2024 Official World Golf Rankings, from fourth to eighth.
Hovland is a six-time PGA Tour champion but has yet to win since etching his name on the FedEx Cup at the end of the 2023 season.
In September 2023, he scored 3.5 points in five games in Rome and became a major thorn in the side of the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Team Europe ultimately defeated the Stars and Stripes 16.5-11.5.
Hovland will now look to make a full recovery to start the new season and begin his 2025 Ryder Cup journey.
The 2025 Ryder Cup will be held from September 26 to 28 at Bethpage Black in New York.
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