There is a new competition to behold. The DP World Tour has announced a new match-playing format contest that will see Great Britain and Ireland take on continental Europe, the Hero Cup. The information was disclosed after a news report from Sky Sports Golf, which stated that the competition could be played in the Middle East.

The announcement of the new tournament

Similar to other team events such as the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, the new competition will witness two teams competing against each other in different formats across multiple days. Two 10-member teams will face off at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, one consisting of Great Britain & Ireland, and the other of Continental Europe.

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The competition will provide the DP Tour with its own lucrative team event in a bid to eliminate its players from joining LIV golf. It will be held next year, from January 13th to 15th. It will be the inaugural event of next year’s DP Tour calendar, followed by the Rolex Series event at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

The teams for the event will be selected on the basis of their performances in this season’s DP Tour, which will conclude in November after the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Current Team Europe Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, will be selecting the teams with an eye on playing time and leadership experience.

Luke Donald’s role in the Hero Cup

Handed the captaincy role after Henrik Stenson departed for LIV Golf Series, Luke Donald is the first Englishman to be named captain of Team Europe in the Ryder Cup since Sir Nick Faldo in 2008. He engaged himself quickly in his act, setting up healthy competition between his European camaraderie.

“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,” Donald said.

“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.”

Europe’s best players, such as Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Francesco Molinari, among others, are expected to be lined up for this event. The competition will provide a perfect stepping stone for the Ryder Cup, to be held in Italy next year.

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