Great Britain & Ireland took a 3½ -1½ lead after the first day of the 2025 Team Cup.
Matthieu Pavon and Romain Langasque won Friday's opening four-balls match for Continental Europe, but wins for Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin and then Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter quickly turned the tables.
Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai ensured GB&I would lead overnight at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort before Matthew Jordan and Paul Waring halved with Thorbjørn Olesen and Niklas Norgaard.
Thirteen points are needed across the three days to win the competition. Francesco Molinari led Continental Europe to a 14½ -10½ victory against a Great Britain & Ireland team captained by Fleetwood when the event was held as the Hero Cup in 2023.
GB&I Captain Justin Rose opted to lead from the front, in partnership with Matt Wallace, but immediately fell one down as Pavon holed from 15 feet.
Rasmus Højgaard holed out from a greenside bunker for birdie at the second as he and fellow Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen went one up on Smith and Canter, both from Bath in England. Canter responded at the third but Neergaard-Petersen holed from 14 feet at the next to restore his side’s one-hole lead.
By that point there were no matches tied, with Great Britain & Ireland on the board through Hatton’s birdie at the second in game three and Matthew Jordan’s opening tap-in in game four.
Taking the opposite approach to Rose, Molinari saved himself for the final match where he and fellow Italian Matteo Manassero went up against Englishmen Fleetwood, Molinari’s partner in the memorable “Moliwood” pairing as they won four points from four at the 2018 Ryder Cup, and Rai.
The skipper holed a superb long putt to win the first only for Rai to respond at the second thanks to a well-judged chip. Olesen's 21-foot putt also drew himself and Norgaard level against Jordan and Waring.
Canter, who had almost eagled the first, sent his 186-yard approach at the sixth to 18 inches and Smith took full advantage with a long birdie putt.
— Romain Langasque (@Lancaisse) January 10, 2025
Langasque won the eighth with a hole-out eagle, putting Continental Europe two up with the four other matches all tied at that point. He then poured in a long birdie putt at the next to make it three while Neergaard-Petersen’s chip-in put Continental Europe ahead in the second match.
Jordan picked up a much-needed hole for GB&I with a long birdie putt at the seventh and McKibbin’s six-footer at the eighth put more pink on the board.
Manassero won the sixth for his all-Italian pair and Norgaard hit back against Jordan and Waring, but Fleetwood holed a 37-footer at the seventh to level the bottom match while Smith’s birdie left the second match level.
Pavon put Continental Europe two up after 12 in the top match while GB&I took the same lead in match three when Hatton holed from the fringe of the tenth green.
Smith made three successive birdies to win holes, finding the cup from 13 feet at the 12th hole and 17 at the next to open up a two-hole lead. Waring put his pair one up after ten but successive birdies from Olesen and then Norgaard turned the score around.
Wallace cut the deficit in the lead match to one with three to play but Pavon responded to put Continental Europe ahead dormie two – and then birdied the 17th to clinch the first point of the week.
GB&I were dormie three in match three after McKibbin birdied the 14th, though, and a half at the 16th took the tournament score quickly back to 1-1.
Neergaard-Petersen secured a half at the 17th to take match two down the last with his side one down, but when Canter’s two-putt was conceded GB&I had a second point on the board.
Rai’s birdie at the 14th put him and Fleetwood in control of the anchor match, two up with four to play, and Fleetwood then took them to dormie three before the Italians conceded a 4&2 win at the next.
Waring had birdied the 15th to draw himself and Jordan level and their match went the distance, Waring’s nerveless par putt leaving it level down the last where the spoils were shared.
