Ryder Cup Event: GB&I Leads Continental Europe After Day One

The Ryder Cup-style Team Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort sees Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) leading Continental Europe 3½-1½ after the opening day. This three-day event allows Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, to assess players in contention for the September 2025 match against the United States at Bethpage. Donald emphasized the event’s importance, especially since players faced loud “U-S-A” chants during practice sessions, simulating the hostile crowd they can expect in New York.

GB&I playing captain Justin Rose a six-time Ryder Cup veteran, noted the unique “razzmatazz” in practice to prepare for the pressure-filled atmosphere at Bethpage. Despite the challenge, Rose appreciated how the event exposed players to new practice strategies. Continental Europe’s playing captain, Francesco Molinari, a three-time Ryder Cup participant paired with Matteo Manassero. However, both captains lost their opening fourball matches.

Rose alongside Matt Wallace suffered a 3&1 defeat to French duo Matthieu Pavon and Romain Langasque. Meanwhile, Molinari and Manassero faced a heavy 4&2 loss to Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai, who now ranks 22nd in the world after winning his first PGA Tour event. In contrast, Tyrrell Hatton and Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin, the only non-English player in the GB&I squad, defeated Frenchmen Antoine Rozner and Julien Guerrier 3&2. Rose explained that the pairing’s success was coincidental as player statistics played a large role in matchups.

Furthermore, Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter won their match by one hole against Rasmus Hojgaard and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. At the same time, Matthew Jordan and Paul Waring halved their match with Thorbjorn Olesen and Niklas Norgaard. The competition continues with two sessions of alternate shot foursomes on Saturday followed by singles matches on Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points will claim the trophy.