ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Great Britain and Ireland dominated two foursomes and led the continent 11-4 in the second day of Team Cup action on Saturday.
The event at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort provides European players with valuable match play opportunities ahead of this year’s Ryder Cup in New York.
Britain and Ireland lead 3.5-1.5 overnight after Friday’s four-ball tie and have won the foursomes tie by 7.5 points out of 10. Britain and Ireland need just two points from Sunday’s singles match to seal the trophy.
Captain Justin Rose was delighted with the team’s overall performance.
“As the game went on, the rankings became more and more favorable to us,” Ross said. “Every game was close and we either tied the game or turned it around and won the game. Today is a big day with 10 points still up for grabs. They did an unbelievable job.”
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood claimed victory in both games as he teamed up with compatriot Rose to beat Continental captain Francesco Molinari 2-2 Molinari and France’s Julien Guerrier. Fleetwood then joined Jordan Smith to take three points in a 3-2 win over the same pair in the afternoon.
“We were very persistent from tee to green today,” Fleetwood said. “We played well on what I thought was a pretty tough afternoon.”
Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin matched Fleetwood’s results. He partnered with Aaron Rai in a 4-3 win over Rasmus Højgaard and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, And together with Matthew Jordan, they defeated another Danish pair, Thorbjørn Olesen and Niklas Nørgaard, by 2 points.
Frenchmen Romain Langesque and Mathieu Pavin made it two wins for the continental side after winning Friday’s four-goal tie.
“We were great today,” Langeske said. “Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for our whole team because we’re so far behind.”
The continental team must sweep Sunday’s singles matches to retain the trophy they won in 2023, then known as the Hero Cup.
The event, formerly known as the “Saever Cup”, was held eight times from 2000 to 2013, with Britain and Ireland winning six times and continental Europe twice.
Six of the 20 players and captains from the 2023 edition ended up playing in that year’s Ryder Cup, when Team Europe won the title and regained the Ryder Cup.
This year’s Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in September.
