Viktor Hovland has broken a bone in his foot in an unfortunate incident with a bedframe, which could threaten his hopes of competing at The Sentry in Hawaii next week.
Hovland is on the entry list for the PGA Tour season opener but may be forced to sit out after picking up an unusual injury. He took to Instagram on Friday with an image of an X-ray, showing a broken pinky toe, alongside the caption: “Bed frame 1 – 0 me.”
It is not yet clear if Hovland will be ruled out of The Sentry, which would be a frustrating blow to his hopes of making a fast start in 2025.
The 27-year-old played 16 events on the PGA Tour in 2024 and only missed the cut on three occasions. However, he failed to have a great season with his T2 finish at the FedEx St Jude Championship his best result of the campaign.
Hovland’s freak injury comes after Scottie Scheffler withdrew from The Sentry following a mishap on Christmas Day. He sustained a puncture wound from cutting the palm of his right hand on broken glass, forcing him to undergo surgery.
Scheffler has been told he will recover in three to four weeks, paving the way for him to return at the American Express tournament in mid-January.
His manager, Blake Smith, explained: “On Christmas Day while preparing dinner, Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass. Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery.
“He has been told that he should be back to 100 per cent in three to four weeks. Unfortunately, he will have to withdraw from The Sentry. His next scheduled tournament is the American Express.”
Freak injuries are nothing new in golf, with players often being struck down in unusual incidents. Earlier this year, Jeffrey Guan lost vision in his left eye after being hit with a golf ball during an event in Australia.
He endured two weeks of critical care and underwent surgery after sustaining fractures to his left cheekbone and eye socket.
Guan said: “During my nights in hospital, I almost drowned in thoughts about the injury and my future in the sport. Not only was I utterly distraught by the news I had received, but the whole situation made me very depressed and somewhat angry.
“As you can imagine, this whole situation not only came at a tremendous cost but has also significantly affected me and my family emotionally and mentally. All my years of hard work and training, plus my family’s sacrifice, had just been thrown out the window.”