Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg broke the record for the biggest foursomes win in Ryder Cup history with a 9 and 7 thrashing of the USA's Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka for Europe on Saturday.
The hosts were given a remarkable start in their bid to extend the five-point lead they built on Friday, as the Scandinavian pair beat the previous record set in 1979.
Hovland and Aberg won nine of the 11 holes played, with the other two halved in the alternate shot format.
The previous biggest win in Ryder Cup foursomes was Americans Tom Kite and Hale Irwin's 7 and 6 success against Ken Brown and Des Smyth 44 years ago.
Viktor & Ludvig, history makers 💪
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 30, 2023
The Ryder Cup has been played for 96 years. Their 9&7 victory is the largest foursomes win ever.#TeamEurope | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/PS8Jq1jRMm
USA skipper Zach Johnson would have expected his star pairing of world number one Scheffler and five-time major champion Koepka to help kickstart a fightback after a disastrous first day in which the visitors slipped 6.5-1.5 behind.
Instead, they started off by playing the first three holes in five over par and fell four-down through four holes.
HUGE putt from @McIlroyRory 🔥#TeamEurope | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/WnXnT0jFsu
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 30, 2023
Hovland and Swedish sensation Aberg, the first golfer to feature at a Ryder Cup without playing at a major championship, made it three straight birdies to extend a lead which became 7-up through the first nine.
The match finished in miserable fashion for Scheffler and Koepka as they hacked multiple shots over the 11th green before an inevitable concession.
AFP