Ludvig Aberg spills the secrets on Europe's UFO-loving partnership as Luke Donald mulls Hovland-Aberg reunion after mauling of US pair in Rome

For all Viktor Hovland's recent difficulties in predicting the outcomes to his shots, his partner on the course, Ludvig Aberg, has faced an identical battle in trying to second-guess the direction of their conversations. From aliens to philosophy, that can be a diverse road.

It remains to be seen if Luke Donald will follow conventional wisdom by pairing them here at Bethpage Black, reprising the relationship that pulled off a 9&7 foursomes mauling of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in Rome two years ago.

To that end, there has been a mild surprise in the fact they have not yet been grouped together in two practise sessions across Tuesday and Wednesday. Keeping them apart so far might be interpreted as an early sleight of hand by Donald, or even a breather for Aberg, who has supplied an insight into those wild chats with his Norwegian friend, one of the most eccentric characters in golf.

'We get along,' said Aberg on Wednesday. 'He's a funny guy to have funny conversations with. They can go in any direction that you don't really expect.

'He's always into sort of the UFO deals and all those things, so it's quite interesting. I'm not quite down that road just yet. If I hang out with him long enough, I might be. Again, you never really know where it's going to go, which is quite interesting.'

Hovland, whose most recent readings have included the works of Plato, spoke earlier this month about the challenges in his game. A fifth-placed finish at Wentworth on his last outing suggests the world No 12 is in good shape, but he admitted there that his 'soul' was aching over the frequency with which he was struggling to control his shots.

Aberg added: 'We had a good time in Rome, and we've played multiple practice rounds since, and our caddies get along great, too. He's a good friend to have on Tour and in the team room here.'

The Swede was a breakthrough star in Rome, scoring two points from four just months after turning professional.

He said: 'I think the biggest thing that I take away from those couple days, and maybe especially that morning (against Scheffler and Koepka), was just the validation for myself, that I'm able to do that. Because obviously before I played in Rome, I hadn't even met those guys. I had never shaken their hands. I had never had a conversation with them.

'For me to get there and to bring out a result like that was a big deal for me personally, to know that I'm able to beat those guys at times. I had a really good partner that day, which always helps. But it was a cool experience and probably something that I won't forget.'