Viktor Hovland's lost golf clubs were delivered to him at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii on Tuesday night, six days after he arrived to the site of the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions without his clubs.
Delta Airlines lost the world No. 7's golf clubs at some point in his journey to the year-opening, winners-only PGA Tour event. They somehow wound up in Seattle, which is a Delta hub city, before ultimately getting to Hawaii with enough time to afford the Norwegian a day of practice to prepare for the Plantation Course.
There's just one problem: Hovland's driver got busted on the way.
Hovland shared photos on Tuesday night on his Instagram story, and this is definitely a good news-bad news situation. His clubs arrived in his soft travel case, but his Ping driver, which was packed in the travel bag with the head on, is no longer in good shape.
The good news is Viktor Hovland got his clubs last night. The bad news is he's gonna need to borrow another driver. pic.twitter.com/UXPHJGPFaT
— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) January 5, 2022
It's unclear from the photos if Hovland has a backup shaft packed in his Club Glove bag. If he doesn't have a backup shaft available, it may be difficult for him to get one in time for the tournament. There have been stories of players getting equipment off retail shelves in a pinch, but with so many supply-chain issues in the golf industry right now, it's unclear if Hovland could get the shaft of his choice in time for the Thursday first round.
This situation is an illustration of why it's a good idea to remove your driver head (if possible) before packing it in a soft travel case so that it's less likely there's a shaft-snapping situation. Also, if possible, make sure to get a stiff-arm that you can pack in your soft bag to give your driver and other clubs more room in the bag on their journey.
