Viktor Hovland fires up Europe as Ryder Cup finishing line comes into view

Europe drew first blood on the final day as the 44th Ryder Cup headed for a tense climax at Marco Simone.

The home side’s 10.5 to 5.5 overnight lead meant they needed just four more points to regain the trophy and Viktor Hovland edged them closer to the target with a comfortable 4&3 victory over Collin Morikawa in match two.

Scottie Scheffler then looked set to edge out Jon Rahm in a high-quality opening match as he took a narrow lead to the 18th, but hit a clumsy chip from the front of the green and could not match Rahm’s nerveless two-putt birdie from 90 feet.

That half point made the overall score 12-6 and eased the nerves of Europe captain Luke Donald, who could see the United States ahead in six of the remaining 10 matches.

HOVLAND WINS