Ryder Cup trials for European players. The "Team Cup" will take place in Abu Dhabi from 10 to 12 January. The event, which will open the 2025 DP World Tour, will see Continental Europe, led by Francesco Molinari, compete against the Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) selection led by Justin Rose, also a Major champion. In the United Arab Emirates, it will be a show challenge with two Italians as protagonists. In Chicco Molinari's team, there will be Matteo Manassero. The best Italian in the world ranking - in front of Luke Donald, captain of the Europe team also at the 2025 Ryder Cup in Bethpage (New York), scheduled from 26 to 28 September this year - he will try to show off after a 2024 that saw him return not only to winning, but to playing at an excellent level. The competition will be held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, again on the National Course. As in 2023, when Molinari (Guido Migliozzi was also on his team at the time) managed to lead Continental Europe to success (14.5 to 10.5 the final result) in the first edition of what was then called the "Hero Cup". To win the trophy, 13 points will be needed (out of a total of 25). On the first day of competition, five fourballs matches are scheduled. On the second, as many foursomes.
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Team Cup, schedule
While on the third and final day, here are the ten single matches that will involve all the participants.
Molinari will be able to count on five Danes: with the Hojgaard twins, Nicolai and Rasmus, there will also be Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Niklas Nrgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen. Among them are two acquaintances of Italian golf, as Olesen and Nicolai Hojgaard both won the Italian Open in 2018 and 2021 respectively. Completing the team, with Manassero, are the Frenchmen Matthieu Pavon, Antoine Rozner and Romain Langasque.
Rose, gold medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, king of the 2013 US Open (Molinari instead triumphed, in 2018, at The Open), will be able to count on an emblem of the latest Ryder Cups like Tommy Fleetwood (captain at the Hero Cup 2023). And, then, on Tyrrell Hatton (member of the Arab Super League, Liv Golf, he also won the Italian Open, but in 2017), Laurie Canter, Tom McKibbin, Aaron Rai, Jordan Smith, Matt Wallace, Paul Waring and Matthew Jordan.
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The match will pit two great friends like Molinari and Fleetwood against each other. In 2018, in tandem, they were the architects of the Euro-triumph at the Ryder Cup in Paris. Each team will be composed of 10 players. In total, there will be 13 debutants at the "Team Cup" 2025.
