Francesco Molinari admitted he could have done more to help his Continental Europe side after “things went wrong” ahead of their heavy Team Cup defeat against Great Britain and Ireland.
Continental Europe came into the Ryder Cup-style event as defending champions after their 2023 success, only to lose all four sessions and falling to a convincing 17-8 loss against Justin Rose’s side.
Their title defence suffered a setback when key player Nicolai Hojgaard was forced to withdraw due to illness, while vice-captain Thomas Bjorn’s role was also limited due to sickness, with GB and Ireland dominating throughout the three-day contest.
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Luke Donald explains the importance of the Team Cup in preparation for the Ryder Cup later this year
Molinari’s side trailed 11-4 heading into the Sunday singles, despite French duo Matthieu Pavon and Romain Langasque winning their three matches together over the first two days, where GB and Ireland quickly got the two points required to have their victory confirmed.
“I think I probably could have done a slightly better job with the boys,” Molinari said. “They gave it all they had. Our side was maybe more inexperienced players in this kind of event but they are great guys and they did their best. The GB&I team was just too hard for us this week.
“Definitely not ideal [losing Nicolai Højgaard to illness]. Thomas Bjørn should have been a vice captain, and I think he was a bit sick all week. A few things went wrong from the start of the week. We missed Nicolai.
“But to be fair, Julien [Guerrier] showed up last minute and played some terrific golf. I’m glad the younger guys got exposed to this sort of environment and we’ll be back in two years trying to win it back.”
Francesco Molinari was Continental Europe captain for the second successive Team Cup
GB&I threatened a rout as they led in nine of the 10 matches at one stage during the singles, only for Continental Europe to produce a brave fightback – with the contest already lost – to win three and tie two matches on the final day.
“Loved the experience of it, and the lads have made me look incredibly good at it,” Rose said about captaincy. “The way they played was first class. We had one clear message, which was to get on the front foot, to try to be relentless, to play wave after wave.
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Rose reflects on Great Britain and Ireland’s win at the Team Cup and the importance of the event in the run up to this year’s Ryder Cup
“Playing on a big lead, everybody felt like we could get the job done, but just to focus on individual and personal pride, kind of continue the message of the week.
“The leaderboard early in the round was astonishing, really. Every credit to Continental Europe and Francesco himself and the team as a whole. The whole matches were played in great spirit, but my team definitely holed the right putts at the right time and won most of those key matches.”
Tyrrell Hatton won 3.5 points from his four matches
Fleetwood and Hatton impress for GB and Ireland
Tommy Fleetwood secured the point to confirm the win when he beat Pavon 3&1, having also secured the winning point for Europe when they defeated the United States at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Ryder Cup star Fleetwood, who won all four of his points across the week to extend his formidable record in team events, said: “It obviously feels great, what an unbelievable group of lads we had this week and an unbelievable captain, so just a pleasure to be a part of it.
“Everybody just played so well. I always find it very motivating and inspiring being around the lads in a team environment, you want to get the best out of yourself. Happy that we got it done this time and sure we’ll enjoy it later.”
Hatton, who also finished unbeaten and is looking to secure a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance, added: “I think we all at the start of the week had a common goal – wanting to win back the Team Cup. So yeah, very happy to win my point today but more importantly, the team won.
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Tyrrell Hatton holed a monster eagle at the par-five last to grab a half-point in his match alongside team-mate Matt Wallace during day two
“By now, I guess Luke [Donald] knows what I’m capable of or the type of golf that I can produce. My job is harder to automatically qualify for the team, but I have five events to do that. I’m going to give it my best. My last three Ryder Cups, I’ve managed to automatically qualify, and I’d love to keep that streak going.”
What’s next?
The DP World Tour stays in the Middle East for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the opening Rolex Series event of the year, where Rory McIlroy returns as defending champion. Featured Group coverage begins on Thursday from 4am on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 7am.
Several of this week’s Team Cup line-up are likely to feature at the Ryder Cup later this year, exclusively live from September 26-28 on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.
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