ABU DHABI: Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood are excited to make their captaincy debuts as they prepare to lead their respective Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland teams at the inaugural Hero Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
The duo, who forged an exceptional partnership at Le Golf National in 2018 in contributing four points from four towards Team Europe’s triumph in the Ryder Cup, will compete as playing captains this week as they go head-to-head by leading two teams which each contain an exciting mix of Major Champions, proven winners and some of the most promising young players in golf.
The two teams of ten, which were constructed by the two captains alongside 2023 Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald, will compete across four sessions from January 13-15, with Friday’s foursomes session followed by two sessions of fourballs on Saturday, before Sunday’s Singles matches will determine the outcome of the Hero Cup.
This week’s event is sponsored by Pawan Munjal and Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and a long-term partner of the European Tour group. Including this week’s event, Hero MotoCorp will sponsor three events on the DP World Tour schedule in 2023 in the form of the forthcoming Hero Dubai Desert Classic, a Rolex Series event, and the Hero Indian Open.
“We have often talked about a team match-play contest, and to give team and leadership experience to the players, that is something that resonates with us here at Hero MotoCorp as well, and authentic leadership is encouraged and practiced every day,” said Munjal.
“Luke has, in fact, done a fantastic job with both Tommy and Francesco here in putting together a field that has the best of emerging talent and as well as established major champions and Ryder Cup stars from UK, Ireland and Continental Europe. I’m sure this is going to be a fantastic week of top-class golf that will witness a tussle on the course between these two strong teams.”
The teams
Continental Europe
Captain: Francisco Molinari
Players: Thomas Detry, Nicolai Højgaard, Adrian Meronk, Guido Migliozzi, Alex Noren, Viktor Perez, Thomas Pieters, Sepp Straka and Antonire Rozner.
Great Britain & Ireland
Captain: Tommy Fleetwood
Players: Ewen Ferguson, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Seamus Power, Callum Shinkwin, Jordan Smith, Matt Wallace and Richard Mansell.
