Britain and Ireland lead the continent 3.5-1.5 after the opening day of the Team Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event in Abu Dhabi.
Captain Justin Rose teamed up with Matt Wallace to beat Roman Langeske and Mathieu Pavin 3-1 before watching his team win in another four at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort. Unbeaten in four-goal matches.
Tyrrell Hatton teamed up with Tom McKibbin, reportedly a future LIV Golf teammate, as they beat Anton 3&2 Antoine Rozner and Julien Guerrier, while Laurie Canter and Jordan Smith Defeated Rasmus Hojgaard and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen on the final hole.
Tyrrell Hatton partners Tom McKibbin in four-goal win
Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai came from behind to beat Matteo Manassero and Continental captain Francesco Mori 4&2 Francesco Molinari, in another game, Matthew Jordan and Paul Waring vs. Niklas Norgaard Tied with former Ryder Cup player Thorbjorn Olesen.
Britain and Ireland will lead by two points going into Saturday's two foursomes matches, with all 20 players taking part in both games, with Ross' side needing a further 9.5 points at the weekend to win the biennial team event.
Team Cup opening day scores and results
“I'm very happy with it,” Ross said. “Some of the key messages from the Ryder Cup are to start fast. There was too much blue on the board for my liking, and unfortunately I contributed to that, but the team came together well.”
How Ross's Britain and Ireland move forward
The Continental never trailed at the top level, with Pavin birdieing the first hole and Langeske converting from a similar distance on the sixth to equal Wallace's birdie. Langasque extended their lead with a stunning eagle on the eighth fairway, and Pavon got them there early with a birdie on the ninth fairway. The third corner.
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Continental's Romain Langasque hits an eagle in Team Cup opener
Rose won consecutive holes to start the back nine before Pavin birdied the par-3 12th and took the second hole on the 15th, offsetting Wallace's birdie. ball and then triumphed on the final hole, giving the defending champion the only perfect score of the match.
“It was great to play with Roman and we got the win, so it was a perfect day,” Pavin said. “We don't play team golf very often and I know the record in Great Britain and Ireland is better than on the continent and we want to change that. We won the last Team Cup and we hope to win this one as well.”
Nelgaard-Petersen's chip-in eagle gave him and Hoygaard the lead with eight holes remaining, but Smith won the next three holes to put him and Kanter in control. game.
The British and Irish pair held on to their full points with a birdie on the par-5 final, while Fleetwood and Rye recovered from a slow start to take the day's best against Molinari and Manassero. The greatest victory.
Fleetwood birdied the 11th hole to give them the lead, and Lay doubled the advantage with a roll-in from 15 feet on the 14th, with both men winning the next three holes. , ensuring that Rose's team ended the first day of the game with a lead.
Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari both look to lead team to Team Cup title
McKibbin and Hatton birdied the first three holes, conceding just one, while Guerrier birdied the fifth as the British and Irish pair formed a formidable partnership. The match ended with two holes remaining.
“You want to get off to a good start, you don't want to give up the hole early and we did a really good job of that today,” Hatton said. “As a team, we didn't drop the ball. If they win a hole, they're through It’s nice to win a point with a birdie.”
Who will win the Team Cup? Watch live on Sky Sports all weekend long! Live coverage on Sky Sports Golf continues at 3.30am on Saturday, with the second match starting at 7am. Stream PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Majors and more with NOW.
