If you asked any amateur golfer who their dream playing partner would be, teeing off alongside a Ryder Cup winner would feature on most wish lists.
And that’s exactly what happened for West Ham United captain Mark Noble at the Sky Sports British Masters, where the skipper played 18 holes with Team Europe hero and Hammers fan Francesco Molinari.
Italian Molinari, whose love for all things Claret and Blue stems from his friendship with Gianfranco Zola, invited Noble to join him on the course at Walton Heath Golf Club just a few days after winning all his matches to lead Europe to a stunning 17.5-10.5 win over the United States.
Noble, a 16-handicapper – matching his shirt number – and the World No5 – matching the number of points he scored at the Ryder Cup – were joined in their fourball by former Tottenham Hotspur and England player and manager Glenn Hoddle, with talk certain to have turned to the big derby at London Stadium on Saturday 20 October!
“Obviously it’s a massive game at home for us, as they always are against Spurs,” Noble told tournament sponsors Sky Sports. “We’ve got a quite a good record against them lately, but they’re a fantastic team and have got great players.
“They’ve had a bit of an up and down start but what a great team they are and we are looking forward to it.
“You don’t need to tell the new players they need to be up for this game, as they get it all week from the West Ham fans on social media and in the street and once they feel the atmosphere at London Stadium, they’ll know how important the game is!”
*Seats for West Ham’s Premier League fixture with Tottenham on Saturday 20 October at 3pm are available now via the Ticket Exchange!