Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland beat Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in record-breaking fashion at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
The 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome saw Europe beat America in dominant fashion. They won 16½-11½ after a blistering opening day, which extended Europe’s home winning streak to seven Ryder Cups in a row.
Saturday morning’s foursomes session hosted not only one of the most incredible underdog wins of the tournament, but a record-breaking round against players with eight major championships between them.
Here, we remember when Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland embarrassed Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland break Ryder Cup record against Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka
Aberg and Hovland beat the powerhouse duo of Koepka and Scheffler with a staggering 9 and 7 victory. It was the biggest win in any 18-hole match in Ryder Cup history, foursomes or otherwise.
Aberg entered the 2023 Ryder Cup as a rookie, playing alongside one of the hottest talents in golf in Hovland. The duo were expected to be beaten relatively comfortably by Koepka and Scheffler, who had multiple major wins.
The Americans came staggering out of the gate, shooting five over in the first three holes with a poor putting display. Aberg nearly had a hole-in-one on the fourth hole, and the European pairing recorded three birdies in four holes to lead by seven at the ninth.
Mistakes by both Scheffler and Koepka on the ninth and 11th were the nails in the coffin for the Americans. An uncharacteristic chip from Scheffler flew over the back edge of the green, and the American pairing fell victim to the biggest Ryder Cup defeat ever.
Aberg could hardly believe what had happened after the match, describing it as “quite surreal… I had to almost pinch myself.”
The pairing is likely to be back together in New York to repeat their performance on foreign soil.
Viktor Hovland will be on Europe’s Ryder Cup team, says Rory McIlroy
Both Aberg and Hovland failed to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team, and will rely on a captain’s pick from Luke Donald to make it to Bethpage. But McIlroy, who has focused on the Ryder Cup since The Open Championship, let slip that Hovland will be picked.
He said at the Tour Championship, “Myself, Rosey, Bob, Tommy, Viktor. The guys that are pretty much on the team.”
Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, and Justin Rose all qualified for the team automatically. McIntyre fought for the BMW Championship, and Rose won the St. Jude Championship to secure their places on the team in recent weeks. But Hovland was an unconfirmed name until McIlroy effectively said he was in.
None of Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup team have seen a dramatic drop in form from two years ago. Donald’s team is likely to be the same, making his decision far easier than his American counterpart, Keegan Bradley.
Bradley will bring a lot of rookies to New York, meaning most of Europe’s opponents will be fresh faces and unknown quantities. While America are favoured on home soil, it’s a priceless opportunity for Europe to snatch a victory in the States.