ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — After the first day of competition in the Team Cup, Britain & Ireland hold a lead of 3½-1½ over Continental Europe following the fourballs format. This event is designed to provide European golfers with experience in match play, similar to what they will encounter at the upcoming Ryder Cup in New York later this year.
One notable victory for Britain & Ireland was achieved by the duo of Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin. Their partnership featured a current LIV Golf participant alongside a player speculated to join the emerging Saudi league. The pair asserted control against Antoine Rozner and Julien Guerrier, winning decisively with a score of 3&2. Additionally, Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai delivered another resounding win for their team, defeating the Italian contingent of Francesco Molinari and Matteo Manassero by 4&2.
Francesco Molinari, who serves as the captain for Continental Europe, previously led his team to victory in 2023 when the event was called the Hero Cup, finishing with a score of 14½-10½.
During Friday’s matches at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, only two of the five contests went the full distance to the 18th hole. Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter managed to maintain a lead, halving the last hole for a narrow 1-up victory over Rasmus Hojgaard and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. On the other hand, Thorbjorn Olesen and Niklas Norgaard from Continental Europe finished in a tie with Matthew Jordan and Paul Waring.
Continental Europe managed to secure only one victory, achieved by French golfers Matthieu Pavon and Romain Langasque. They triumphed over Justin Rose, who captains the Britain & Ireland team, and Matt Wallace, finishing with a score of 3&1.
Historically, the event was known as The Seve Trophy and was held eight times from its inception in 2000 until 2013, during which Britain & Ireland won six times while Continental Europe took the title twice.
At least six of the participants and captains from the 2023 edition went on to compete in the Ryder Cup held at Marco Simone near Rome, where Europe successfully reclaimed the trophy. Looking ahead, the next Ryder Cup is set to take place at Bethpage Black in September.
