“That’s how 9&7 came to be” - Viktor Hovland on Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka’s historic loss in Ryder Cup foursomes
Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg's performance on Day 2 of the Ryder Cup on Saturday has been nothing short of extraordinary, as Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka were dealt shocking defeats in the foursome matches.
The day got off to a poor start for the American pair, as they double bogeyed two of the first three holes, and bogeyed the third one. They lost 9&7 to the young European pair, in the largest margin of victory in an 18-hole match ever at the Ryder Cup.
Needless to say, the European team was elated, especially Viktor Hovland. It was clear that the US was not at the top of their game today, and the European pair took advantage of that fact. After the match, Viktor Hovland said:
“Obviously Scottie and Brooks weren’t on top of their game today, and that’s how 9&7 came to be.”
Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler were clearly off their game in the morning, as they were down six after eight holes of the match. The Americans needed a fast start to the second day of the Ryder Cup, but things have clearly not been going their way.
Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland pick up the largest margin of victory at the Ryder Cup
Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland now hold the record for the largest margin of victory ever recorded at the Ryder Cup, with a score of 9&7. The former record was held by Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, who beat Lee Westwood and Luke Donald 7&6 in 2012.
The European team has gotten off to a blazing start, sweeping the morning matches on Day 1, 4-0. They did not let up the pressure in the afternoon matches. However, US did end up gaining some momentum, tying three matches and losing one.
Europe ended the day with a score of 6.5-1.5. The European team celebrated their successful first day, but also did not forget the fact that they needed to come back and performa again on Day 2. Captain Luke Donald said during a post session interview on Friday:
"So, the job is certainly not done. We will all celebrate an amazing day, but we'll be back tomorrow morning with the goal of trying to win tomorrow morning's session. We'll be getting our guys focused to be back in the saddle."
Team USA has quite a large task ahead of them, as they hold on to the hopes of holding on to the Ryder Cup trophy.