Team Cup Golf 2025 Tips: Wallace & Hojgaard to get it done

Before the DP World Tour resumes its season next week with the Dubai Desert Classic, it first takes a detour to Abu Dhabi for the second staging of the Team Cup. A Ryder Cup-style team event that pits players of Great Britain & Ireland against Continental Europe, which could have an impact on who makes it onto Team Europe in the big one later in the year at Bethpage Black.

As always, here is Jamie Worsley's comprehensive preview and his Team Cup Golf 2025 Tips. He's picked out one player from each side he likes the look of...

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The event was first staged in 2023 (then called the Hero Cup), but it is of a very similar format to the Seve Trophy that was contested on eight occasions between 2000 and 2013. The main difference being that the captains of each side are playing captains for this new iteration.

Team Continental Europe, captained by Francesco Molinari, won that first edition 14 ½ - 10 ½ over the Tommy Fleetwood-captained GB & Ireland. Both players will participate again this week, but whilst Molinari keeps his place as captain, Fleetwood has been replaced by Justin Rose at the head of the team.

FORMAT & SCHEDULE

The two teams of 10 will compete in 25 matches across three days (Friday-Sunday), with one session of fourballs (better ball), two of foursomes (alternate shot) and a closing day of singles.

Like other similar team events, one point is awarded for a win and half a point for a tie, with 13 points the all-important winning total that each group of players will be striving to achieve.

Unlike the Ryder Cup, every player will compete in each of the four sessions in the event. The schedule for which is detailed below:

• Friday Morning: Fourballs (5x matches)

• Saturday Morning: Foursomes (5x matches)
• Saturday Afternoon: Foursomes (5x matches)

• Sunday: Singles (10x matches)

THE COURSE

As with the 2023 edition, the event will be staged at the neutral venue of Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, which was host of the Abu Dhabi Championship on the DP World Tour from 2006-2021, then known as Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The course was designed by Peter Harradine in 1998, the architect of DP World Tour regulars such as Doha Golf Club, host of the Qatar Masters and Ras Al Khaimah Championship host, Al Hamra Golf Club.

Abu Dhabi Golf Resort is a lengthy par 72, measuring 7648 yards. It possesses 4x par 3s (174-203 yards), 10x par 4s (412-512 yards) and 4x par 5s (552-601 yards).

This is your typically exposed Middle Eastern desert track. Most holes are framed by the tree-smattered sandy waste areas and water is a constant threat, in-play on 12 holes.

The fairways are narrow, ranking as some of the toughest to find on the DPWT over the course’s years on tour. Most of them dogleg, some severely so and along with the intelligent bunkering, the course makes for a demanding test of driving.

Bermudagrass covers the average-large, sloping putting surfaces. They are well protected by run-offs and generally surrounded by sizeable sand traps. That being said, the course didn’t rank too high in short game difficulty on the DPWT, and strong putters should feel confident of holing their fair share on these greens.

With all of that water in-play, there are lots of risk/reward holes at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, which makes it a good course for match play/team golf, for all it does lack an exciting, drivable par 4. Birdies were plentiful in the Abu Dhabi Championship if the wind didn’t blow, and we should expect another fun week in the Middle East in our second renewal of this event.

THE WEATHER

Conditions look ideal in Abu Dhabi this week, with warm dry and bright weather forecast throughout the three days. With little in the way of wind, players will need to be at their birdie-making best to help their team.

KEY STATS

• SG: Off-the-Tee
• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation
• SG: Putting (bermudagrass)
• Birdie or Better %

This week’s course is one at which high-class ball-strikers often thrived, especially in the benign, scorable conditions that look set to welcome the players this week.

Strength off-the-tee will be particularly advantageous, as it is the most difficult aspect of playing at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.

Quality putting is always a key asset to have in match play, with players able to turn a hole on its head by holing a lengthier putt and passing all of the pressure over to their opponent. Therefore, those who have displayed an ability to putt bermudagrass well should enjoy this challenge.

THE TEAMS

TEAM GB & IRELAND

JUSTIN ROSE (CAPTAIN)

World Ranking: #49

Justin Rose makes his debut in this event for 2025, replacing Tommy Fleetwood as the captain of the GB & Ireland team. A veteran of six Ryder Cups – winning four times – and a two-time Seve Trophy winner, he is the most experienced player in this type of event among this year’s competitors.

He arrives here after a 2024 campaign that showed that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level, having finished runner-up in The Open and 6^th in the PGA Championship.

Rose has a commendable points percentage of 59.62% in the Ryder Cup and is especially good in foursomes, winning seven of his 10 matches.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD

World Ranking: #9

Though not as captain, Tommy Fleetwood returns for another go at the Team Cup after claiming three from a possible four points in the 2023 renewal. He also represented GB & Ireland in the 2013 Seve Trophy and has played three Ryder Cups, winning twice in 2018 and 2023.

He was in typically consistent form in 2024, winning in Dubai at the start of the year and finished his year with nine straight top-25 finishes. Among his other standout performance for the year were a 2^nd-place finish in the Olympics and a 3^rd-place finish in The Masters.

Tommy has taken an impressive eight points from a possible 12 in the Ryder Cup, where he has amassed a perfect record in foursomes, winning each of his four matches. Returning to a course at which he recorded back-to-back victories in 2017/18, he should be among the top performers this week.

TYRRELL HATTON

World Ranking: #16

Tyrrell Hatton is back at the Team Cup for the second straight renewal, taking two points from four matches in 2023. Like Fleetwood, he’s played in each of the last three Ryder Cups and was also on the winning side in the 2018 EurAsia Cup – a similar event that pits a team from Europe against Asia – whilst he’s the only other player to record a win here, which came in 2021.

The Englishman was in superb form at the end of 2024, finishing top 10 in his final five starts of the year, which includes a third success in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Hatton has won a solid 54.55% of his points at the Ryder Cup and usually makes for a reliable partner, taking five points from a possible eight across foursomes and fourballs.

AARON RAI:

World Ranking: #22

Having not played this event in 2023 and yet to make his Ryder Cup debut, Aaron Rai comes into this week as a team golf novice, but he can make an instant impact after a PGA Tour breakthrough in 2024.

That first win in the US came in the Wyndham Championship back in August and it was far from a one-off, as he recorded a further five top-10 finishes, including finishing runner-up in the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Rai made his 2025 bow in last week’s The Sentry, finishing 15^th and will be hoping to use this week’s event as a stepping stone to making his Ryder Cup debut later in the year.

MATT WALLACE

World Ranking: #64

After enjoying a successful entry into team golf in this event in 2023, gaining two-and-a-half points out of four, Matt Wallace returns for another shot this year as he chases a Ryder Cup debut.

He was in excellent form at the end of 2024, making the cut across each of his last 13 starts of the year and picking up a fifth DP World Tour win in the Omega European Masters.

That victory and his other strong performance currently have him at #4 on the European Ryder Cup points list, and with the disappointment of missing out on that 2018 renewal to drive him on, I’d expect to see a determined Matt Wallace this week.

JORDAN SMITH

World Ranking: #83

Jordan Smith makes the GB & Ireland team once again having finished with two points from four in 2023, which both came in foursomes.

He was playing some very consistent golf at the culmination of last year, missing just one cut in his final 12 starts and recording 10 top-25 finishes.

Smith will be hoping to carry that level of form into 2025 and impress enough here, as well as on the DPWT, to earn him that first trip to the Ryder Cup.

PAUL WARING

World Ranking: #95

Like Aaron Rai, Paul Waring enters this week with no experience of team golf in the professional ranks to his name.

He put himself in the conversation for this event and indeed a possible Ryder Cup debut thanks to an excellent win in the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links towards last year.

Waring will be aiming to pick up where he left off there, first giving a good account of himself this week and if able to build on that biggest win of his career in 2025, he may make a surprise Ryder Cup debut at the age of 40 in New York in September.

TOM MCKIBBIN

World Ranking: #110

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin is the only non-English player teeing it up for Team GB & Ireland this week, and arguably the most talked about man at the Team Cup due to his seemingly imminent move to LIV.

Both his inclusion in this week’s event and his appeal to LIV comes after a laudable 2024 campaign. One that saw him record 16 top 25s in 29 starts and hit the top 10 on nine occasions, going closest to a victory when 2^nd in the Italian Open.

McKibbin will dip his toe into the world of team golf this week and even if it isn’t a precursor to a Ryder Cup debut later in the year, it will provide vital experience to a talented player who looks sure to be in many future discussions.

MATTHEW JORDAN

World Ranking: #120

Although Matthew Jordan comes into this competition as a team golf beginner in the pro ranks, he does possess bags of experience in similar formats from his amateur days.

Whilst he was still unable to find his breakthrough win on the DPWT last year, he played the best golf of his career over that previous 12 months. Indeed, his runner-up finish in the Nedbank Challenge on his final start of 2024 was his highest ever finish on the tour.

That should mean Jordan glides into 2025 full of confidence and though it would take something spectacular this year to see him on that plane to New York in September, this experience in Abu Dhabi should serve him well as he searches for further progress this year.

LAURIE CANTER

World Ranking: #128

Laurie Canter is the lowest-ranking member of GB & Ireland and another player for whom this week is all about brand new experiences.

2024 was a huge year for the Englishman, as after a 13-year professional career he finally entered the winner’s circle on the DPWT, winning the European Open in Germany back in June.

As a high-class driver of the ball, Canter should feel comfortable in his surrounds in Abu Dhabi and whilst a spot on the Ryder Cup team this year would be a surprise, he has little to lose as he readies himself to soak in the atmosphere of professional team golf for the first time.

TEAM CONTINENTAL EUROPE

FRANCESCO MOLINARI (CAPTAIN)

World Ranking: #474

Francesco Molinari was the winning captain for Continental Europe in the first edition of this event in 2023 and returns in the same role this year. Although he may be the lowest-ranking player in this event, he went unbeaten last time, winning three-and-a-half points out of four and with three Ryder Cup appearances to his name, his experience could be crucial.

It’s fair to say that the Italian isn’t the same player that won The Open Championship in 2018 and was every bit a Masters contender the following year. He recorded just two top 20s in 2024, the latest of which came in Bermuda in November. That being said, he wasn’t showing much form prior to this event in 2023, and that piece of recent positive form could be enough to spur him into life again in this format.

Molinari has only known success in the Ryder Cup, playing on winning teams in 2010, 2012 and 2018. He’s amassed a respectable 54.55% points percentage across those appearances and can generally be counted on in both pairs match types, winning half of his four matches in foursomes and fourballs.

MATTHIEU PAVON

World Ranking: #31

Matthieu Pavon is the top-ranked player for Continental Europe, in what will be his first experience of team golf this week.

His rise to #31 in the world is thanks to a brilliant last 15 months, that has seen him breakthrough on the DPWT in the Open de Espana in 2023 and then make an instant impact on the PGA Tour last year, winning the Farmers Insurance Open on just his third start on the tour. He contended in the US Open before eventually finishing 5^th and also impressed on his Masters debut, finishing 12^th.

Pavon’s form has dipped somewhat following the US Open, therefore, he’ll want to give a good account of himself in this event to maintain a spot in Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald’s thought process.

RASMUS HOJGAARD

World Ranking: #39

Rasmus Hojgaard took his game to a new level in 2024 and currently sitting second in the standings for Team Europe, this team golf rookie will be hoping to maintain that newfound standard as he embarks on pastures new.

The young Dane has enjoyed plenty of success on the DPWT prior to last year but nothing to match the sheer consistency of the previous campaign. He won a fifth tour title in the Irish Open, beating Rory McIlroy into second, which was one of six top-5 finishes, including when runner-up in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and season-ending DP World Tour Championship. All of this took him to second place on the Race to Dubai and a first full season on the PGA Tour this year.

Whilst this may be Hojgaard’s debut in this type of format in the pro game, he does have plenty of experience of comparable events in the amateur ranks, such as competing in the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup.

NICOLAI HOJGAARD

World Ranking: #60

Nicolai Hojgaard was among the star performers in this event back in 2023, as he picked up three-and-a-half points to help Continental Europe to victory. He then made his Ryder Cup debut later that year and will be hoping that another strong showing in this event will put him firmly on Luke Donald’s radar for Bethpage Black.

His performances in 2024 were somewhat of a mixed bag. He began excellently, finishing 2^nd in the Farmers Insurance Open on his first start as a full PGA Tour member, before finishing 16^th on his Masters debut. Barring a 7^th-place finish in the Olympics, noteworthy performances were few and far between thereafter, though he did find something upon his return to the DPWT at the back end of the year, finishing inside the top 25 in his last five starts.

Nicolai had his moments in Italy in 2023, though ultimately, his half-a-point total was the lowest on Team Europe. He’ll be desperate to book a return to the Ryder Cup this year and have a bigger impact on the event.

THORBJORN OLESEN

World Ranking: #69

Having played in one Ryder Cup and one Seve Trophy – among many other team golf events, including winning the 2016 World Cup for Denmark – Thorbjorn Olesen’s experience is second only to Francesco Molinari for Continental Europe.

Though he struggled on the PGA Tour in 2024, he was a different animal back in the comfort of the DPWT. He won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at the start of the year and finished the season by recording four top-7 finishes across his last six starts.

Olesen only played two matches in his solo Ryder Cup appearance in 2018, but did manage a superb 5&4 demolition of Jordan Spieth in the Sunday singles.

ROMAIN LANGASQUE

World Ranking: #77

Romain Langasque was in good form at the end of last year and he’ll be aiming to keep it rolling on his Team Cup debut this week.

2024 was a year of 2^nd-place finishes for the Frenchman, as he finished runner-up in the Soudal Open, Danish Golf Championship and then in the Nedbank Challenge on his second-to-last start of the year.

Due to his amateur pedigree, as a winner of The Amateur Championship in 2015, many would’ve thought of Langasque as a certainty to be in the Ryder Cup picture before now. That hasn’t materialised yet and whilst it’s hard to see it doing so this year, he can put in place some building blocks for the future by impressing on his debut in this event.

MATTEO MANASSERO

World Ranking: #89

After winning his fourth DPWT title in the 2013 BMW PGA Championship at the age of 20, you’d have thought a Ryder Cup appearance would be just around the corner for Matteo Mannasero. However, things haven’t quite worked out like that, as he suffered a severe loss in form, but he has fought his way back admirably over recent years and whilst making the team may be a long shot, just merely being back in the conversation is an achievement in itself.

He re-entered the DPWT winner’s circle in March last year, winning the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa. His form remained strong thereafter, recording 11 further top-25 finishes, which included top 5s in the Irish Open, BMW PGA Championship and Indian Open.

Manassero is no stranger to team golf, having represented Continental Europe in two Seve Trophies (winning in 2013) and also appearing twice in the World Cup for Italy. Though these experiences may feel ancient to him now considering where his game has been, they could still prove valuable this week.

NIKLAS NORGAARD

World Ranking: #92

Niklas Norgaard has made steady improvements in recent years, that culminated in him winning a first DPWT title in the British Masters last year. This has thrust him into the completely alien arena of being an albeit surprising and unlikely Ryder Cup contender.

His win at The Belfry followed him going close when 2^nd in the Soudal Open earlier in 2024 and he continued to produce positive results following the victory, making each cut across his last 12 starts of the year and recording a further five top 25s.

Norgaard’s only brush with pro team golf came in the 2018 European Championship, where he represented Denmark. Though that is a far cry from the world he now finds himself in.

RASMUS NEERGAARD-PETERSEN

World Ranking: #94

The fifth and final Dane on the Continental Europe team is the hugely exciting Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. It took him just shy of 18 months to hit the top 100 in the world after turning pro in 2023 and though a Ryder Cup debut this year may seem unrealistic, don’t be surprised to see him give Luke Donald something to think about with his performance this week and indeed, on the DPWT this year.

He started his first full season in 2024 on the Challenge Tour but earned an automatic upgrade to the DPWT in September, thanks to recording his third victory of the year in the German Challenge. The step up proved no problem, as he missed just one cut across his eight starts on the DPWT at the end of the year, including a top 5 in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Neergaard-Petersen has extensive experience of team golf from his amateur days, playing a starring role in the International team’s victory over the U.S in the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup, winning three of his four matches.

ANTOINE ROZNER

World Ranking: #144

Antoine Rozner only collected a disappointing one point from his four matches in this event in 2023. Although, he finished last year in good form and will be eager to better that tally this time around.

He was solid throughout most of 2024 but was hitting the ball excellently over the final few events of the previous season, which took him to finishes of 4^th in the Genesis Championship, 6^th in the Abu Dhabi Championship and 3^rd in the DP World Tour Championship.

Excluding that effort here in 2023, Rozner’s experience of similar events is confined to the amateur ranks and it’s difficult to see him really forcing his way into the Ryder Cup picture. Having said that, he did finish 16^th on his only try at this course in the Abu Dhabi Championship in 2021, which should give him confidence that he has a better showing in him in this event than he previously showed.

Team Cup Golf Odds

SELECTIONS

3 pts win Matt Wallace (Top Great Britain & Ireland) @ 15/2 

2 pts win Matt Wallace (Top Overall Points Scorer)  @ 12/1 

Matt Wallace has made it his priority to make the Ryder Cup this year, with that past disappointment of missing out in 2018 driving him on. We saw this in full effect at the end of last year, as he deemed it more important to tee it up on the DP World Tour to establish his place near the top of those automatic qualifying positions for the Ryder Cup, instead of trying to improve his place within the FedExCup on the PGA Tour.

That tactic proved fruitful, as he won at Crans-sur-Sierre and also finished 3^rd in the Abu Dhabi Championship on his second-last start of the year. This means that he enters 2025 in 4^th place in the Team Europe standings, with the top 6 guaranteed a spot at Bethpage Black.

Wallace’s short game was in fine form when we last saw him and he was hitting the ball well enough. He’s never missed a cut here in the Abu Dhabi Championship, finishing 7^th in 2021 and going well when taking two-and-a-half points in this event in 2023, I fancy this ultra-focused Matt Wallace to be among the leading performers this week.

3 pts win Nicolai Hojgaard (Top Continental Europe) @ 6/1

2 pts win Nicolai Hojgaard (Top Overall Points Scorer) @ 14/1

Nicolai Hojgaard was excellent in this event in 2023 and after rediscovering some form at the end of 2025, I fancy him to again be among the top scorers.

The key to those end-of-season performances was the fact that he’d again found consistency with the driver, which is a real weapon for this monster hitter once he gets it under control. Meanwhile, his approach play has been consistently strong for the best part of two years now, making him a formidable ball-striking talent.

The only time that Nicolai didn’t take maximum points in 2023 was in the opening-day fourballs, which he tied alongside Francesco Molinari, before then going on to win his next three matches. Though on the winning team, he’d have ultimately been disappointed with his half-a-point in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone later that year and will want to convince Luke Donald to give him another shot at Bethpage Black in September.

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