Hero Cup – The debrief

The first DP World Tour tournament of 2023 saw players from across Europe assemble for a new team match play contest in Abu Dhabi, where the first G4D Tour event of the year also took place. Here is everything you need to know from the Hero Cup.

Continental Europe win inaugural Hero Cup

Francesco Molinari captained Continental Europe to a 14.5 - 10.5 victory over Great Britain & Ireland in the Hero Cup, leading from the front as he beat Shane Lowry in the first singles match on Sunday. Adrian Meronk enjoyed the honour of holing the winning putt as the Pole claimed his first point of the event with victory over Callum Shinkwin on the 18th green, with members of both teams watching on. Trailing by two points overnight, GB&I front-loaded their singles line-up with experience as they sought to stage a fightback - and initially the strategy paid off. Victories for captain Tommy Fleetwood and fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton saw GB&I claim the points in two of the first three matches. Nicolai Højgaard then sealed a vital victory against Séamus Power in a high-quality encounter that went the distance. Matt Wallace produced a determined performance to see off Thomas Detry and reduce the overall deficit to one point, but Continental Europe were in control of most of the other matches on the course. Sepp Straka and Victor Perez secured comfortable victories over Ewen Ferguson and Jordan Smith respectively before Robert MacIntyre gave GB&I some reason for cheer as he beat Alex Noren 5&4. But shortly afterwards, Meronk holed a birdie putt from more than 30 feet to confirm Continental Europe as victors. The final act saw Guido Migliozzi beat Richard Mansell 4&3 in the anchor match at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Molinari proves captain fantastic

Molinari came out on top this week against opposition playing skipper Fleetwood, alongside whom he famously claimed four points out of four as part of 'Moliwood' at the 2018 Ryder Cup. The Italian delivered another impressive performance across the three days of competition, winning 3.5 points from a possible four. With all 20 players across both teams playing in all four sessions, Molinari was delighted by how his team-mates gelled and performed under pressure. Reflecting on his team’s victory, which was confirmed two hours after his win over fellow Open Champion Lowry in Sunday’s opening match, he said: "Amazing, amazing. I can finally relax - the last couple of hours have been tense after finishing my game. But, it's been great all week, super happy for the guys. Like I said all week, it's been very, very easy leading them and being a captain for them."

Quartet of players go unbeaten

The Hero Cup brought together a mix of experience and youth, with both teams boasting a Major Champion in their ranks in the form of Molinari and Lowry. For many, the past week offered a great opportunity to underline their match play credentials in front of the watching European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald. Nicolai Højgaard was a late replacement for his injured twin brother Rasmus, and he seized his opportunity with both hands. The Dane won 3.5 points from a possible four as he forged a successful partnership with Molinari across four-balls and foursomes over the opening two days. His performances in Abu Dhabi this week, coupled with his win at the 2021 DS Automobiles Italian Open on this year’s Ryder Cup venue, Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, will have served as notice of what he could potentially bring to Europe in Italy. Migliozzi and Perez also finished the week unbeaten after they won 2.5 points from a possible three as a pair over the opening two days. An honourable mention also goes to MacIntyre, who won three of his four matches and like Højgaard boasts a winning record at Marco Simone as the reigning Italian Open champion.

Fleetwood proud of Great Britain & Ireland team

GB&I captain Fleetwood might not have led his team to victory, but the Englishman only had positive thoughts at the end of the week. After losing in the opening day’s four-balls, the six-time winner on the DP World Tour bounced back with back-to-back victories in Saturday’s foursomes alongside Hatton and fellow former Challenge Tour Number One Smith respectively, before he defeated Thomas Pieters in the singles. "Obviously we came here to win and we wanted to do it for each other, but the first thing that I said at the start of the week was 'team-mates don't remember if you play bad or you miss a putt or you lose a point but everybody remembers if you don't give it 100 per cent', and I couldn't have asked for any more from anybody this week,” he said. "It's been amazing. I wish we could have got it done but at the same time, you remember these moments forever and you cherish them."

Postigo Arce wins first G4D Tour title

Juan Postigo Arce claimed his maiden G4D Tour in the second event of the 2023 season, the G4D Tour @ Hero Cup. The Spaniard, who was born without much of his right leg and no knee, held the overnight lead and carded a level-par 72 in Saturday’s final round to finish two strokes ahead of Canadian Kurtis Barkley. After registering a runner-up and two third place finishes in the inaugural G4D Tour season, Postigo Arce was delighted to finally enjoy victory as the G4D Tour made its debut visit to Abu Dhabi Golf Club. “It feels great,” he said. “After last year, I played pretty good golf around the globe, but the win didn’t come. It’s the best way to start 2023 and hopefully there’s many more to come.” The 27-year-old’s victory means he moves to the top of the inaugural G4D Order of Merit, the season-long competition to crown the G4D Tour’s best player.