Ahead of Europe’s ill-fated defence of the Ryder Cup in the United States last year, the possible combination of Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland was seen as a dream pairing.
Alas, Padraig Harrington never put them together in a contest that turned out to be emphatically one-sided.
But on a sun-kissed St Andrews Saturday, they walked side-by-side, flying the European flag at the top of a leaderboard dominated by Americans and an Australian when play began. And they will be flying it again in what promises to be an enthralling final round.
