Where: Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
The course: Abu Dhabi Golf Club – Par 72 7,642 yards – is the traditional home of the Abu Dhabi Championship and, a week ahead of that Rolex Series event, it will play host to the Hero Cup. The course was constructed on a slat flat and required a feat of engineering as well as a significant amount of earth-moving to develop the mounding around the layout. The two signature holes are the ninth and the 18th, which bring two of the course’s seven lakes into play.
What is the Hero Cup? Think of the old Seve Trophy (which was played biennially from 2000-2013, including twice in Ireland at Druids Glen and The Heritage) before falling out the calendar. This is its rebirth in a new guise, in effect, again featuring one team made up of players from Britain and Ireland and another from continental Europe. The first day’s play features five fourball matches, while the second day features 10 foursomes and Sunday’s final day has 10 singles. Every player plays every session over the three days.
The field: With Luke Donald keeping a close eye on matters with a view to prospective pairings at the Ryder Cup later this year, the two teams have a mix of experience and youth but all aiming to make an impression on Donald. Séamus Power, currently number one on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings, has shown his commitment to Donald’s cause by skipping the Sony Open to play on the B & team, while Shane Lowry is the other Irish player competing.
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First day’s fourballs: 7.05 (Irish time) – Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry v Thomas Pieters and Alex Noren; 7.20 – Tyrrell Hatton and Jordan Smith v Thomas Detry and Antoine Rozner; 7.35 – Callum Shinkwin and Matt Wallace v Victor Perez and Guido Migliozzi; 7.50 – Ewen Ferguson and Richard Mansell v Francesco Molinari and Nicolai Hojgaard; 8.05 – Séamus Power and Robert MacIntyre v Sepp Straka and Adrian Meronk.
Quote-Unquote: “I would love to be a winning captain. I won’t have too many harsh feelings for another captain if they win but definitely I would love GB & to win. The last match GB & were in 2013 and got beat ... everybody is taking it very seriously and I think if you prepare yourself properly for these particular events, that will hold you in good stead for what’s to come in the future if you manage to make (the) Ryder Cup” – Britain and Ireland playing captain Tommy Fleetwood.
Betting: Team Britain and Ireland are 4-5 favourites with Continental Europe rated 5-4. A draw is 10-1.
On TV: Live on Sky Sports (live coverage 7am).
