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The 2023 Hero Cup is here and the teams are ready. Both the Continental Europe as well as Great Britain and Ireland teams are set for the inaugural Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi, held from January 13 to 15. The first event of the 2023 DP World Tour calendar will see 10 players from Great Britain and Ireland, led by Tommy Fleetwood, take on 10 players from continental Europe, headed by Captain Francesco Molinari.
The event played as part of preparations for this year’s Ryder Cup, will see the top names in Europe fight each other. The Abu Dhabi Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will host the three-day bash that’ll help Europe captain, Luke Donald, decide on his team that’ll play defending champions the United States in Rome.
It goes without saying that the event features some big names from the DP World (European) Tour as well as the PGA Tour.
2023 Hero Cup field
The field for the 2023 Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi is being headlined by the likes of Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Thomas Pieters, Alex Noren, and more. The inaugural edition of the Hero Cup will feature a 20-player field.
The Great Britain and Ireland team led by Tommy Fleetwood will take on Continental Europe, headed by Captain Francesco Molinari. The English and Italian golfers will look to lead their teams to a win over the weekend. As the event does not have Monday qualifiers, the final field is set for now. Teams will only be allowed to change based on any player withdrawals ahead of the first-round tee-off.
While the 2023 Hero Cup will not offer any Official World Golf Ranking points to the winners, the field features seven of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. The top-rated players on the tournament field feature the likes of Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood.
Here are the players in the top 50 of OWGR (as per ranking):
- 20. Shane Lowry
- 23. Tommy Fleetwood
- 26. Tyrrell Hatton
- 27. Sepp Straka
- 37. Thomas Pieters
- 39. Alex Noren
- 48. Adrian Meronk
2023 Hero Cup teams
Continental Europe team
The Continental Europe team led by Italian golfer Francesco Molinari features the likes of Thomas Pieters, Antoine Rozner, and Sepp Straka.
- Captain: Francesco Molinari
- Thomas Detry
- Rasmus Højgaard
- Adrian Meronk
- Guido Migliozzi
- Alex Noren
- Victor Perez
- Thomas Pieters
- Antoine Rozner
- Sepp Straka
Great Britain and Ireland team
The Great Britain and Ireland team looks like the stronger side on paper. The team led by PGA Tour star Tommy Fleetwood also features another star in Shane Lowry. Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Wallace are among the team’s top names.
- Captain: Tommy Fleetwood
- Ewen Ferguson
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Shane Lowry
- Robert Macintyre
- Richard Mansell
- Seamus Power
- Callum Shinkwin
- Jordan Smith
- Matt Wallace
It is pertinent to note that the players at the Hero Cup will be playing for their spot in the upcoming Ryder Cup. Most of the golfers on the field will remain in Abu Dhabi for the HSBC Championship (January 19 to 22), followed by the Hero Dubai Desert Classic (January 26 to 29). Some will even play in the upcoming Ras Al Khaimah Championship in February.
