Hero Cup: Continental Europe grab 3-2 lead over Great Britain and Ireland after Friday fourballs
Francesco Molinari's Continental Europe team took a narrow 3-2 lead over Tommy Fleetwood's Great Britain and Ireland side in the fourballs at Abu Dhabi Golf Club; watch the Hero Cup live on Sky Sports Golf
Friday 13 January 2023 22:41, UK
Continental Europe secured a 3-2 lead after the opening day of the Hero Cup as course form failed to pay dividends for Great Britain and Ireland.
GB&I captain Tommy Fleetwood has tasted victory at Abu Dhabi Golf Club before, as have team-mates , Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton, but all three failed to contribute a point for the pre-event favourites in the Friday fourballs.
Fleetwood and Lowry fought back from three down with nine holes to play against Alex Noren and Thomas Pieters before Noren's birdie on the par-five 18th sealed a narrow win, while Hatton and Jordan Smith also lost on the last to Thomas Detry and Antoine Rozner.
The only win for Fleetwood's side came from Robert MacIntyre and Seamus Power, who were 10 under par in beating Sepp Straka and Adrian Meronk 4&3, with the other two matches finishing tied.
"I think it was a good team performance on the first day," Fleetwood said. "I know we would loved to have finished the day and been the right side of the scoreboard and been up.
"Unbelievable really that four matches go down the last. Just shows how close the teams are in terms of levels.
"I think in the end, to get out of that session 3-2, we'll definitely go back to our team rooms feeling the better, I just said to the guys, that's why those guys are at the back, trust them to get something out of it at the last and be very tough coming down that last hole.
"Overall, happy. I think for everybody, that's the first competitive round this year and I think it went really well - I thought all of us put in good performances."
In the other fourballs, Matt Wallace and Callum Shinkwin halved with Victor Perez and Guido Migliozzi thanks to Wallace's birdie on the 18th, while Richard Mansell also birdied the last to ensure he and Ewen Ferguson halved with Europe captain Francesco Molinari and Nicolai Hojgaard.
All 20 players will contest each session during the tournament with two sets of five foursomes matches scheduled for Saturday and 10 singles matches on Sunday.
Molinari partnered Fleetwood to four wins in the 2018 Ryder Cup as Team Europe triumphed, and the Italian also beat Phil Mickelson in the singles for a perfect 5-0 record,
"My guys did amazing," Molinari said. "Obviously, it's a nice start - a long way to go but it's always nice winning a day, winning a session.
"I feel really lucky. I've got a team that it's very easy to manage, lots of nice guys that get along well, and we are having a great time so far.
"Obviously the challenge [on Saturday] is two sessions so you need to be mentally ready for that. However, after the morning, you need to reset for the afternoon."
Donald: Hero Cup vital for Ryder Cup preparation
Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is overseeing all three days of the Hero Cup, which effectively fills the gap left by the Seve Trophy.
"That was held eight times between 2000 and 2013 and gave captaincy experience to future Ryder Cup skippers Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.
"It's really important to get this back on the schedule," Donald said.
"It's going to give us an opportunity to be out here, learning stuff, having these guys in the team room together and having my vice-captains here.
"It's like a dry run for the Ryder Cup, but it's so important to get this back on the schedule and there are so many positive reasons because of that."
What happens next?
Live DP World Tour Golf
Live DP World Tour Golf
There will be two rounds of foursomes matches on Saturday, with all 20 players featuring in both sessions. Five matches will take place in the morning, with five further fixtures of the same format later that day.
Every player will then be involved in the Sunday singles, where 10 matches will take place. A total of 25 points are available across the three days, with 13 points required from either team to become the first Hero Cup winners.
Watch Saturday's double session of Hero Cup action live on Sky Sports! Live coverage begins at 3.30am on Sky Sports Golf.
