Unlikely couples
Wednesday night’s official gala dinner was a great chance to partake in some of the Ryder Cup’s more enduring traditions: golf-themed desserts (this time a luscious coconut cream effort called “Hole In One”), bad music (the singer songwriter Phillip Phillips, who I’m sure featured on Celtic Manor’s 2010 singles), and of course putting women in expensive dresses and making them stand still while other people photograph them. As the European players and their wives descended the famous Spanish Steps, two of them were conspicuously alone: Viktor Hovland and the vice-captain José María Olazábal. And so, in a strikingly tender gesture, Olazábal and Hovland decided to become a couple, posing hand in hand as they entered the Piazza di Spagna. A strong stand against the heteronormativity and innate conservatism of professional golf? Or some rather nasty banter? It probably depends on how the rest of the evening went, to be honest.
To Viktor the loot
Hovland certainly seemed sufficiently refreshed when he arrived on the course Thursday morning, if his practice drive on the fifth hole was anything to go by. Hovland’s ball went onto the green on the 302-yard par four with a three-wood, cleared the lake and jumped onto the dance floor before landing straight into the cup. Cue hugs on the tee, pandemonium in the stands and beaming smiles from Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, watching from a short distance away. And no one seemed particularly concerned that it was actually Hovland’s second ball after his first had disappeared into the right rough.
Striking things
A planned public transport strike that could have disrupted the opening day of the Cup has been controversially called off following the intervention of Italy’s Transport Minister Matteo Salvini. The Unione Sindacale di Base originally announced a 24-hour nationwide strike for Friday, before Salvini received an order to limit it to just four hours, citing the Ryder Cup as justification. The union has described the minister’s move as “an absurd regulation that degrades the entire history and value of the right to strike”, and has decided to postpone its action until October 9. Golf: the working man’s original game!
Youth club
Europe claimed first blood on the course on Thursday as the final day of the Junior Ryder Cup ended with a crushing 20.5-9.5 victory for the home side. The victory broke a streak of six consecutive American triumphs dating back to 2008.
The smell of success
The agenda once again returns to the merchandise tent, where the longest queues of the week can be found at Marco Simone. One of the most eye-catching products on display during this visit is the official Ryder Cup fragrance, Roma Uomo, priced at an aromatic €80 and promising “the elegance of Rome and the essence of the Ryder Cup ” in a bottle. So what’s in it? More water? Bunker sand? Fescue? Chips from Tyrrell Hatton’s beard? Unfortunately, the manufacturers have stuck with the tried and tested notes of geranium, oakmoss and sandalwood, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Back to basic
Meanwhile, it’s fair to say that most Italians have no idea that the global sporting spectacle is being dropped in their midst. Luckily, local newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has offered its readers a handy Q&A guide to the event. “Let’s start with the basics: what is the Ryder Cup?” is the first question. Well, we all have to start somewhere.