GB&I take charge of Ryder Cup-style Team Cup

Following Day One of the Ryder Cup-style Team Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, Great Britain and Ireland dominated Continental Europe by 31-112.

Luke Donald, the captain of Europe, will have a look at some of the players in contention for the September Ryder Cup match against the United States in New York during the three-day competition.

In order to prepare for what is anticipated to be a hostile crowd at Bethpage, Donald stated on the eve of the event that it is of “massive importance”. Players from both sides were chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A” over the PA system during practice days.

“What we did, a bit of razzmatazz on a few certain holes was a unique way to practise”, said GB&amp, I playing captain Justin Rose, a veteran of six Ryder Cups as a player.

Because I believed that was largely a Bethpage 2025 protocol, not necessarily a Team Cup protocol, I wasn’t really aware of that until this week.

“But using this event is a fantastic opportunity to give the players a variety of ways to practice.”

Francesco Molinari, who has three appearances as a Ryder Cup player, is Continental Europe’s playing captain and, like Rose, paired himself with a player hoping to make a debut in New York. However, both of their opening fourball games ended up losing.

In the top match, French duo Matthieu Pavon and Romain Langasque won the match with a 3& 1 defeat to Rose and fellow Englishman Matt Wallace.

Molinari, playing with resurgent fellow Italian Matteo Manassero, suffered the biggest defeat of the session, beaten 4&amp, 2 by Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai, who has climbed to number 22 in the world after winning his first PGA Tour event last August.

When this event was revived in 2023 with the intention of assisting Europe in winning the Ryder Cup in Rome in the following year, Fleetwood was playing-captain of the GB&amp, I side.

French pair Antoine Rozner and Julien Guerrier defeated Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin 3& 2, who is the only non-Englishman in the 10-man GB&amp, I team. McKibbin is rumored to be joining Hatton on the LIV Golf circuit.

Rose accepted that Hatton and McKibbin’s partnership ended in a happy coincidence.

” Statistically, there’s a huge influence how we match players up and pairings up and things like that, “the 44-year-old told BBC Sport.

Without any other agenda, that one kind of fell into place.

The match pitting Thorbjorn Olesen and Niklas Norgaard against Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter ended in a tie with both teams taking a half-point after Rasmus Hojgaard and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Jordan Smith by one hole.

Rose said to BBC Sport in relation to those two games, which were the only ones to go down the 18th and that changed the team’s strategy. “There were some nice moments,” Rose said.

All 20 players will be in action for the three days, with 10 singles and two alternate shot foursomes on Saturday.

Continental Europe 1½-3½ Great Britain and Ireland

Pavon &amp, Langasque beat Rose &amp, Wallace 3&amp, 1

Hojgaard &amp, Neergaard-Petersen lost to Smith &amp, Canter 1UP

Rozner &amp, Guerrier lost to Hatton &amp, McKibbin 3&amp, 2

Olesen &amp, Norgaard tied with Jordan &amp, Waring