Major champions Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose can be considered two of the leading candidates for the 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy at Adare Manor after they were named as playing captains for the second edition of the Team Cup in Abu Dhabi in January next year.
The Team Cup is the new name for the Hero Cup, which will take place on the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort from January 10-12 next.
Molinari (41) captained Continental Europe to victory two years ago and will go head-to-head with his Ryder Cup teammate Rose (44), who takes over from Tommy Fleetwood, a playing captain in 2023, as the Great Britain & Ireland skipper.
The pair will lead respective teams of ten DP World Tour members in the three-day matchplay contest, with Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald also presiding over proceedings in the United Arab Emirates as he did in 2023.
In addition to Molinari and Rose, the teams will comprise the leading four available Continental European and GB&I members from the final 2024 Race to Dubai Rankings, with the five remaining players on each side being selected by the respective captains in consultation with Donald.
Donald, who will lead Europe for the second time at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black next year, said: “I’m really pleased that the Team Cup is returning as it provided some invaluable experience for a lot of players last year.
“I think all of us got a lot out of the week in terms of experiencing the uniqueness of a team environment.
“It also helped everyone involved to understand, through the past Ryder Cup captains who came and spoke to the players during the event, just what it means to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup.
“I am delighted that Francesco and Justin will assume the role of Captains. We saw what Francesco was capable of when he led Continental Europe to a great victory in 2023 and Justin was inspirational both inside and outside the ropes at Marco Simone last year. I’m excited to see them go head-to-head.”
Molinari, who led Europe to a 14.5-10.5 over Fleetwood’s GB&I side in 2023, is looking forward to taking the reins again next year.
“It was a really special week in 2023, and it was great to see players from so many different countries across the Continent working towards one single goal,” Molinari said.
“I have immense respect for Justin; he is a great competitor and going up against him and his team is a challenge I’m really relishing.”
Rose, who won the US Open in 2013 and won one, lost one and halved one of his three matches in his sixth Ryder Cup appearance in Rome last year, is expecting a tough match.
“It’ll be strange going up against Fran in a match play competition rather than him being on the same side, but it’s something I am really looking forward to, even though I know it will be tough given Fran’s history not just in this contest but in the Ryder Cup too,” Rose said.
“But there is so much exciting talent from Great Britain and Ireland on the DP World Tour right now – it will be great to have the chance to try and mould them into a winning team.”
As in 2023, the teams will compete in match play across one session of fourballs on Friday, two sessions of foursomes on Saturday and one session of singles on Sunday, with every player taking part in all four of the sessions.
Each match will be worth one point, with the team crossing the 12½ point mark winning the Team Cup.
The Team Cup – formerly known as the Hero Cup – was first played in January 2023, with Continental Europe, led by Molinari, defeating the GB&I team led by Tommy Fleetwood by 14½ -10½.
Players who competed in that contest and went on to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup last year were Nicolai Højgaard and Sepp Straka (Continental Europe) and Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre (GB&I).
Seamus Power also teed it up for GB&I but missed out on Ryder Cup selection after suffering a hip injury during the 2023 season.
Holywood’s Tom McKibbin, currently ranked 13th in the Race to Dubai, is a potential new face on the GB&I side having racked up seven top 10s on the DP World Tour to put himself in a strong position to win one of ten PGA Tour cards for next season.
