Ryder Cup diary: caddies feel the heat and sweary Hovland drops Sky in it

Caddies grumble in sweltering temperatures

Europe was generally considered to have ‘won’ Thursday’s opening ceremony, thanks to Captain Luke Donald’s excellent opening speech, which started in respectable Italian. That was the result of months of Duolingo lessons, but not everyone in Team Europe was completely satisfied afterwards. Some caddies were heard grumbling about having spent the entire hour-long ceremony in the sun – in 31 degrees Celsius heat – while their American counterparts were given the side that was in the shade.

Sainz shouts distract from the action

Formula 1 star Carlos Sainz was among the celebrities who tangled with the European players on the opening day and the Ferrari driver could barely go 10 meters without hearing a shout of “Carlos! Carlos!” or “Carlito” from the crowd. But his popularity from the Netflix series Drive To Survive also had its drawbacks. Several times, Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton’s caddies had to ask for silence from excited fans shouting Sainz’s name as they lined up to approach their ball.

Bale needs a hand to avoid bunker

More European celebrity news: Gareth Bale almost fell into a bunker on the second hole on opening morning – and had to be rescued by the man from the Telegraph. Meanwhile, England cricketer Ollie Robinson seemed unrecognized by anyone – perhaps because of his new peroxide blonde hair. Novak Djokovic, who is extremely popular in Italy, received many cheers everywhere.

Hovland drops Sky in

The passions of the Ryder Cup understandably led to excited language from players – and apologies from Sky’s broadcast team. Perhaps the biggest culprit was Viktor Hovland, who, when asked about his festivities after making a decisive recovery from the sand in the second foursomes match, replied: “It wasn’t the most ideal place, but I knew it was reachable was and it’s just one of those things. . If you hit a good shot, it goes in and you just lose your stuff.

Simple pleasures don’t come cheap

There is always debate about how much sporting events should charge for food and drinks. On the plus side for Marco Simone fans, there are plenty of free water stations. But when a Magnum Classic costs €7 and a Pepsi €4.50, it’s never going to be a cheap day.