ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Great Britain and Ireland dominated two foursomes and led the continent 11-4 in the second day of Team Cup action on Saturday.
The event at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort provides European players with valuable match play opportunities ahead of this year's Ryder Cup in New York.
Britain and Ireland lead 3.5-1.5 overnight after Friday's four-ball tie and have won the foursomes tie by 7.5 points out of 10. Britain and Ireland need just two points from Sunday's singles match to seal the trophy.
Captain Justin Rose was delighted with the team's overall performance.
“As the game went on, the rankings became more and more favorable to us,” Ross said. “Every game was close and we either tied the game or turned it around and won the game. Today is a big day with 10 points still up for grabs. They did an unbelievable job.”
Britain's Tommy Fleetwood won both games, teaming up with compatriot Rose to beat Continental captain Francesco Molinari 2-2 and French player Julien Guerrier. Fleetwood then joined Jordan Smith to take three points in a 3-2 win over the same pair in the afternoon.
“We were very persistent from tee to green today,” Fleetwood said. “We played well on what I thought was a pretty tough afternoon.”
Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin matched Fleetwood's results. He teamed with Aaron Ray in a 4-3 win over Rasmus Hojgaard and Rasmus Nergaard-Petersen, and teamed up with Matthew Jordan in a 2-3 win over the other. Danish pair Thorbjorn Olsen and Niklas Norgaard.
Frenchmen Romain Langesque and Mathieu Pavin also scored in Friday's four-goal tie, having impressed in both games for the continent.
“We were great today,” Langeske said. “Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for our whole team because we're so far behind.”
The event, formerly known as the Seve Cup, was held eight times from 2000 to 2013, with Great Britain and Ireland winning six times and continental Europe twice.
Six of the 20 players and captains from the 2023 edition ended up playing in that year's Ryder Cup, when Team Europe won the title and regained the trophy.
This year's Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in September.
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