Team Europe stars Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm’s bad language forced broadcasters Sky Sports into two apologies during day one of the Ryder Cup.
The 44th iteration of the competition is taking place this weekend out in Rome at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, with Europe seeking to avenge their 2021 defeat at Whistling Straits to Team USA. And day one could not have gotten off to a better start for Luke Donald’s men after Europe won all four of the first session foursomes, giving them a 4-0 lead to start the Ryder Cup.
However, despite both Hovland and Rahm impressing out at the Marco Simone on day one, the pair also found themselves in a spot of bother when they were heard swearing, forcing Sky Sports to apologise. A poor drive on the 10th hole from Spaniard Rahm saw him unfurl an F-bomb, which prompted commentator Ewen Murray to apologise to the watching audience.
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So disgusted was Rahm, whose shot ended up in the rough, the Spanish star threw his tee away, with his swear off-camera picked up by the surrounding microphones. “He was disgusted with that tee shot,” said Murray.
“Apologies for the word that came out there. He’s just a little frustrated by it that’s all.” Then, later on in the day, Norway’s Hovland got a bit too excited on camera following his win with Ludvig Aberg over Brian Harman and Max Homa.
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Speaking to Sky Sports after their win, a beaming Hovland said: “It wasn’t the most ideal spot, but I knew it was gettable and it’s just one of those things. You hit a good shot and it goes in and you just lose your s***. That was a good start we just kept the hammer down.
He then added: “[The crowd] was such a big difference compared to Whistling Straits. Normally I just keep my head down and play, but I’m trying to get the crowds going and just use them because they want you to play well and they want to support you. It was such a good start and we’re going to keep it going.”
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With day one in the books out in Rome, Team Europe are in control so far, leading Team USA 6 1/2 – 1 1/2. Team USA did not win a match on Friday and will look to bounce back on Saturday.