Norweigan pro Viktor Hovland had the highlight of the day on Thursday leading up to the first session of play for the 2023 Ryder Cup on Friday. The 26-year-old knocked in a hole-in-one on a par 4 hole. The tee on the fifth hole measured 305 yards from the pin. His ball hit the green a couple of feet in front of the hole and rolled in.
Obviously, the hole-in-one means little in a practice round, but the Memorial Tournament winner is clearly hitting well at a key moment for Team Europe. Despite the fact that Thursday’s round was for practice, fans still showed up in droves to glimpse the golfers early.
Hovland will be paired with Ludvig Aberg on Friday, going up against Max Homa and Brian Harman in the second match of the day. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns open up play versus Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
In the third match, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa will face Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka while Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay play Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the fourth match.
Team USA golfer Sam Burns has been the talk of the Ryder Cup in Rome this week after showing up with an iconic American do. Burns transformed his flowing blond locks into a mullet for the occasion, even shaving “USA” into the side of his head for the USA versus Europe event.
Ryder Cup ’23 Team USA, Team Europe rosters
This year marks the 44th playing of the Ryder Cup, in which Team USA plays Team Europe. The event runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.
Team Europe has dominated the Ryder Cup since 2002, winning nine of the last 13 events. The United States took home the last victory at Whistling Straits. Captain Zach Johnson rounded out the 12-man roster with his Captain’s selections to finalize the team.
Here’s a look at the American lineup for the Ryder Cup:
- Scottie Scheffler
- Wyndham Clark
- Patrick Cantlay
- Brian Harman
- Xander Schauffele
- Max Homa
- Brooks Koepka
- Justin Thomas
- Jordan Spieth
- Collin Morikawa
- Rickie Fowler
- Sam Burns
Several recognizable names are on the roster for Team Europe this year. The squad is captained by Luke Donald, and it’s an absolutely loaded team for the 2023 event. Members of this year’s Team Europe for the Ryder Cup include:
- Rory McIlroy
- Jon Rahm
- Viktor Hovland
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Bob MacIntyre
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Sepp Straka
- Justin Rose
- Shane Lowry
- Nicolai Hojgaard
- Ludvig Aberg
On3’s Dustin Schutte contributed to this report.
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