European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald has unveiled the first 18 competitors for the 2025 Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland Team Cup sides. The lineup features a blend of seasoned Ryder Cup veterans and emerging talents from the DP World Tour, who will compete at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort from 10-12 January 2025.
After consulting with Team Cup Captains Francesco Molinari (Continental Europe) and Justin Rose (Great Britain & Ireland), Donald confirmed the initial nine players for each team. The selected players boast a combined 70 DP World Tour victories and include six recent Ryder Cup representatives.
Molinari will spearhead Continental Europe's defense of the Team Cup, which they secured in 2023 with a 14½ - 10½ victory over Great Britain & Ireland. The three-day match play event will feature one session of fourballs on Friday, two sessions of foursomes on Saturday, and one session of singles on Sunday, with every player participating in each session.
Each team will include three Ryder Cup players. Molinari, a three-time Ryder Cup participant, will be joined by Nicolai Højgaard and Thorbjørn Olesen. Rose, a six-time Ryder Cup star, will team up with Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.
Olesen, who played for Europe in the 2018 Ryder Cup, was one of four automatic qualifiers for Molinari's side. Other automatic qualifiers include Scandinavians Rasmus Højgaard, Niklas Nørgaard, and Italian Matteo Manassero. Completing the Continental European team are French players Matthieu Pavon and Antoine Rozner, along with Danish duo Nicolai Højgaard and Challenge Tour Number One Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
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