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It’s golf’s newest bromance that’s taken the Ryder Cup by storm – and now Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg have written themselves into the record books.

The Scandinavian duo beat World No 1 Scottie Scheffler and five-time major champion 9&7 in the second match of Saturday’s foursomes – the largest margin of defeat ever in an 18-hole contest at this tournament.

Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland

Scheffler pumped his opening tee shot into the thick stuff to hand their opponents the perfect start – and the European pair never looked back.

They won the opening four holes, the sixth, and then four in a row from the eighth as they ground their rivals into submission having been on the course for only two and a quarter hours.

• Patrick Cantlay at centre of “split” in US Ryder Cup team

• A love letter to Viktor Hovland

• Brooks Koepka takes swipe at ‘pouting’ Jon Rahm

Scheffler, this year’s Players Championship and Phoenix Open winner whose tie for 23rd at The Open and tied-31st at the FedEx St Jude were the only times he finished outside the top-12 in 2023, was left in tears after the beat-down.

"Anybody who thinks the Americans don't care about this, you're seeing it right here…" 🇺🇲😞 pic.twitter.com/AOduU7cLmR

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 30, 2023

But Hovland remained ever-humble as he discussed the victory. “Obviously Scottie and Brooks weren’t on top of their game today and yeah, that’s how 9&7 came to be,” the Norwegian said, before adding: “Obviously we make a strong team. Regardless I think we could have met a lot of guys and we would have been tough to beat today.

“It’s nice to kind of speak our own language and we understand each other – same humour, same culture. He’s a stud. He doesn’t miss a shot, so it’s easy when I’m playing well and he’s playing well and we are just feeding off of each other.”

Aberg added: “It’s an unbelievable time for me to be here to play alongside one of the best players in the world in Viktor and to be playing against other world-class players.

“Today was quite surreal at times. [I had to] pinch myself at times but obviously super happy with it and looking forward to this afternoon.”

The pair will go again in Saturday’s afternoon fourballs.

The news of the record-breaking win even filtered around the course, with Justin Thomas – playing with Jordan Spieth against Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the match ahead of them – reacting with his caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay…

“9&7???” pic.twitter.com/JhSYYOKSQe

— Joseph LaMagna (@JosephLaMagna) September 30, 2023

Of course, social media had a field day with it…

pic.twitter.com/YidY7z5c6N

— Michael McEwan (@MMcEwanGolf) September 30, 2023

9 (nine) & 7 (seven)

— Alex Perry (@byAlexPerry) September 30, 2023

Ludvig Aberg's 2023 Ryder Cup: 2 points

The entirety of the USA's 2023 Ryder Cup: 1.5 points https://t.co/7h6pW01QB7

— Alex Perry (@byAlexPerry) September 30, 2023

If you want a good summation of this week, here it is.

Viktor and Ludvig started par-par-bogey … and were 3 up thru 3.

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) September 30, 2023

All for smack talk if you can back it up. Koepka down 7 thru 9 (w/ Scheffler) after taking an unnecessary shot at Rahm ain't that

— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) September 30, 2023

“You can’t get any worse than Friday.”

Saturday: pic.twitter.com/BG8JbWPa51

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) September 30, 2023

Now, shall we refer to them as LudVik or Hovberg?

Viktor Hovland/Ludvig Aberg vs Scottie Scheffler/Brooks Koepka: Tale of the Tape

Hole 1: Hovland/Aberg 4-6 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 1-up
Hole 2: Hovland/Aberg 4-5 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 2-up
Hole 3: Hovland/Aberg 5-6 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 3-up
Hole 4: Hovland/Aberg 2-3 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 4-up
Hole 5: Hovland/Aberg 3-3 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 4-up
Hole 6: Hovland/Aberg 3-4 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 5-up
Hole 7: Hovland/Aberg 3-3 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 5-up
Hole 8: Hovland/Aberg 3-5 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 6-up
Hole 9: Hovland/Aberg 4-5 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 7-up
Hole 10: Hovland/Aberg 3-5 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe 8-up
Hole 11: Hovland/Aberg 3-5 Scheffler/Koepka – Europe win 9&7

Listen to our ramblings on our daily episodes of The bunkered Podcast.

topics

Ryder Cup Scottie Scheffler Ludvig Aberg Viktor Hovland Brooks Koepka

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor