29 September 2023 , 10:35
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Viktor Hovland could be forgiven for a bit of foul language after he set the tone for an epic morning for Europe at the Ryder Cup, romping to a 4-0 win in the Friday fourballs.
The Norwegian holed a superb chip on the fringe of the first green to put himself and Ludvig Aberg ahead in their match with Americans Brian Harman and Max Homa at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
The Scandinavians did not look back, cruising to a 4&3 victory on a dominant morning for Luke Donald's team in Rome, and world number four Hovland did not hold back in his interview beside the 15th green once victory was secured.
"It wasn't the most ideal spot, but I knew it was gettable and it's just one of those things," he recalled of his chip on the opening hole to Sky Sports. "You hit a good shot and it goes in and you just lose your s***. That was a good start we just kept the hammer down.
"(The crowd) was such a big difference compared to Whistling Straits. Normally I just keep my head down and play, but I'm trying to get the crowds going and just use them because they want you to play well and they want to support you. It was such a good start and we're going to keep it going.
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Young Swede Aberg - making his Ryder Cup debut just months after turning professional - echoed his teammate's thoughts. He added: "The crowds have been unbelievable here today and we could really feel their support and that's what we need to keep winning points here in Rome. It was a lot of fun today."
Viktor Hovland sent the crowd wild with a spectacular chip-in to set the Ryder Cup alight. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Europe's first point of the Ryder Cup came in a dominant victory in the opening match from Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. They were too strong for a misfiring Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler and romped to a 4&3 win.
Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka had a tough matchup on paper in Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa, but the Irish-Austrian connection always had their opponents under relative control and sealed a 2&1 win for the third point.
And the fourth duly arrived in the last, with Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood weathering immense pressure from Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay down the stretch to eke out a 2&1 win for a clean sweep in the morning session.
The players will be back on the course this afternoon for the fourballs, with Hovland and Hatton facing Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas in the opening matchup. John Rahm and Nicolai Hojgaard take on Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
Debutant Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose take on Max Home and Wyndham Clark, while McIlroy is out last again. The Ulsterman joins forces with Matt Fitzpatrick to face Collin Morikawa and Xander Schaffele.