Someone who has experienced the Miracle of Medinah firsthand won’t be easily caught off guard. The Team Cup will be decided for everyone, except for Justin Rose, the captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team. He made it clear when announcing the order of his singles this Sunday at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. He only needs two points to win the tournament, but if they can be the first two, all the better. It’s one of the lessons Rose wants to carve in stone this week: give no quarter to the enemy.
Therefore, he hasn’t hesitated to place his two best players in the top spots on Sunday. No more, no less. Tommy Fleetwood will open the proceedings, followed by Tyrrell Hatton. Quite the lineup. No concessions. Be aware that by half-past ten in the morning UK time, we might already have a winner of the Team Cup.
The ones tasked with extending the tournament as much as possible will be Matthieu Pavon, no surprises there, the most in-form and brilliant golfer of the Continental team in the first position against Fleetwood, and Thorbjorn Olesen, another who has played better than his results have shown, with two draws and a narrow defeat playing with Niklas Nordgaard. Olesen will face Hatton. A high-stakes duel.
Needless to say, a victory for Pavon against Fleetwood would further enhance his credentials for selection at Bethpage.
The ten matches are as follows:
Francesco Molinari, as expected, has placed the players who have shown the best form this week in the top positions, dreaming of winning the first four or five matches and thus at least putting some fear into the Brits. It’s not easy, but he had no other choice. In the third, fourth, and fifth spots are Langasque, Guerrier, and Nordgaard.
It’s very difficult to predict where the Team Cup will be won, but honestly, it’s very likely to be with Hatton. We know how golf and match play can be, but right now it seems very difficult to think that Fleetwood and Hatton will lose their matches. Pavon’s final challenge.
