Viktor Hovland and Jose Maria Olazabal were seen holding hands in a hilarious photo ahead of the Ryder Cup gala, where this year's players and their other halves got glammed up for photos and a dinner reception in Rome.
Hovland and Ryder Cup vice captain Olazabal did not have other halves with them and made waves on social media when the photos began surfacing online.
Hovland and Olazabal earlier in the week prior to the 2023 Ryder Cup gala dinner in Rome
The pair were back at it again, this time in a photo where Europe's team and their partners all kissed after Luke Donald's team won back the trophy at Marco Simone by a 16.5 - 11.5 scoreline.
Hovland and Olazabal appear to be the only members of Team Europe without a partner this week
It takes us back to the hilarious photo of Rickie Fowler in 2016 when he was surrounded by his teammates and their partners kissing in celebrations after their victory at Hazeltine.
The Rickie Fowler photo that went viral in 2016
Fowler was the only member of Team USA in 2016 without a partner, but he has since married his wife Allison Stokke.
It was a Ryder Cup week to forget this week for Fowler, sadly, who only played twice and lost both games. He was sat out of Saturday's play, with reports that he was struggling with illness.
Viktor Hovland, on the other hand, had an excellent Ryder Cup and was one of Europe's star players. The Norwegian, currently ranked 4th in the world after his FedEx Cup triumph in August, was one of two Europeans to play all five sessions.
He won three matches, including two foursomes games with Ludvig Aberg, and sealed victory in the second singles match versus Collin Morikawa on Sunday.
It was Hovland's second Ryder Cup appearance after his debut at Whistling Straits in 2021.
Hovland clearly formed a bond with Jose Maria Olazabal this week in Rome, with Olly returning to the European setup 11 years after his winning captaincy at the Miracle of Medinah in 2012. He last served as a vice captain nine years ago at Gleneagles, where Europe triumphed over USA 16.5-11.5 - the same score as this year's match.
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