Viktor Hovland missing the cut at the PGA Championship 2026 was one of the biggest surprises till now, but his rollercoaster year has been hit with another setback already. The Norwegian star has pulled out of a tournament closely tied to one of the biggest wins of his career.

Underdog Golf reported on X that Hovland has withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament. Neither the PGA Tour nor the 28-year-old has revealed any reason for withdrawal as of yet. The tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus is a signature event with a $20 million purse and takes place at Muirfield Village Golf Club every year. What makes this move surprising is Hovland’s history here.

In 2023, he won the Memorial Tournament after beating Denny McCarthy in the playoffs and took home $3,600,000. This win was a part of a very special year for the Norwegian pro. Earlier, he had a stunning season, winning the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship.

“Playing Jack’s course and tournament and winning it, and for him to be able to see it is pretty awesome,” the golfer had remarked after his win at Muirfield. “He just shook my hand and gave me a couple words of encouragement.

“It feels really cool to get my first win on the U.S. soil, especially at a tournament like this where the golf course is arguably harder than most major championship golf courses we play. It felt like a major. So it was really cool that I was able to get it done at a place like this.”

However, since then, Hovland has only been able to finish 15th in 2024 and then 25th the next year.

That said, although Hovland didn’t give an official reason this time, there are two distinct possibilities for his withdrawal. One could that the nagging neck pain, which Hovland has been suffering since 2025, is back. He withdrew from the 2025 Travelers Championship after playing just two holes of the final round and then had the same issue during the 2025 Ryder Cup Sunday Singles.

The other could be that he is simply resting for the US Open. He went into the PGA Championship 2026 after playing two back-to-back events, the Cadillac Championship and the Truist Championship, and that didn’t end well for him. On the contrary, he took two weeks off before the Masters 2026 and finished T18 at Augusta. So, it is very likely that Hovland is trying to repeat the pattern. Minor pain or poor performance is something he would fight back against, as he did in 2024 at the PGA Championship, and ended up finishing 3rd.

“I was almost considering pulling out of this event just because I wasn’t playing well at all. Things didn’t feel very good, and when they don’t feel good, it’s like, what’s the point of going and playing? I’d rather just go and work on it,” Hovland told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio’s Jason Sobel about the 2024 PGA Championship.

As for his 2026 campaign, the 7x PGA Tour winner has already missed the cut in 2 of the 11 starts he has had. First came at the Valspar Championship, followed by the PGA Championship. In the remaining 9 events, he has posted a top-10 finish only once, at the WM Phoenix Open.

Where will Viktor Hovland tee up next?

Hovland will tee up at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for the 2026 US Open from June 18 to 21. His best finish here came in 2025 at Oakmont, when he finished 3rd.

Besides the US Open, he has committed to the FedEx Open de France 2026, scheduled from September 24 to 27 at Le Golf National.

“I am excited to be returning to Le Golf National and playing in the Open de France for the first time,” Hovland said.

With the Memorial Tournament now off his schedule, all eyes will be on whether Hovland can regroup at the US Open after the PGA Championship setback.