Francesco Molinari is excited by the opportunity to once again be part of a team environment as he prepares to captain Continental Europe at the inaugural Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi.
The Italian is a three-time member of the European Ryder Cup team – finishing on the winning side on each occasion – and will be part of a ten-man line-up as playing captain against Great Britain and Ireland.
Molinari will bring Major Championship-winning experience to Continental Europe in the new event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, with the first DP World Tour tournament of 2023 set to tee off on Friday.
“When you play an individual sport, being part of a team is not something you experience very often,” he said.
“That makes it special for us any time we have the chance to be part of a team environment.
“It goes back to Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, there is a certain history and tradition there.
“Whenever you are involved in something to do with the Ryder Cup it is very easy to get excited.
“Some of the guys this week will get their first taste [of playing as part of a team]. It is nice to have this possibility to bring in some new faces who I am sure will be Ryder Cup protagonists in the future.”
The three-day contest will see Molinari’s side go head-to-head with a Great Britain and Ireland team captained by Tommy Fleetwood, who forged a formidable partnership with the 2018 Open Champion in the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National later that year.
All 20 players from both teams will compete across five fourballs matches on Friday, followed by two sessions of foursomes on Saturday, before a day of singles matches closes out the event on Sunday.
“It is going to be interesting and good for me to experience something different in this playing captain role,” he said.
“We have a very talented team, and I am excited to be here with all the guys. Hopefully we are going to have a fun week.”
The Hero Cup is being held eight months out from the upcoming Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, with Europe Captain Luke Donald overseeing the new match play contest.
“[Luke] is interested in seeing some of the players, maybe trying out some of the pairings that he hasn’t seen in the past,” he said.
“It is an important week for everyone to get to know everyone better. There are some of us he knows better than others.
“Team Europe is a family, so it is going to be nice to welcome some new, younger faces to the family. We are all looking forward to that.”
