GB and Ireland to take on continental Europe in match play event

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will preside over the new match play event which will see Great Britain and Ireland take on continental Europe. Pic: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The DP World Tour have announced the launch of a new competition which will see Great Britain and Ireland take on continental Europe.

The Hero Cup will follow the same format as the Ryder Cup and will be aimed at boosting Europe's bid to regain the Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023.

Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will oversee the event, which will be held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 13-15, along with two playing captains who will be selected in due course. 

Two 10-man teams will compete in foursomes, fourballs and singles and all 20 players will take part in each session. Both teams will be selected by Donald.

The contest effectively fills the gap left by the Seve Trophy, which was held eight times between 2000 and 2013 and gave captaincy experience to future Ryder Cup skippers Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.

Donald said: "One of the first things I was keen to do when I was appointed as Ryder Cup captain was to reinstate a team match play contest to give playing and leadership experience to future Ryder Cup players, vice-captains and captains."

“I spoke to a number of former Ryder Cup Captains who were strong advocates of how similar events in the past have benefitted players who were pushing to make Ryder Cup teams, as well as their own captaincy journey.

“I am therefore grateful to Hero MotoCorp and the DP World Tour for supporting the concept of the Hero Cup and I look forward to seeing the players compete at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in January.”

The two teams will be confirmed following the conclusion of the 2022 DP World Tour Championship with performance on the DP World Tour Rankings taken into account in the player selection process.