Wayne Riley
I always enjoy starting my year in the Middle East and this year there was a new event for me to report on. The Hero Cup was dreamed up to give past and prospective Ryder Cup team members more competitive match play experience and I have to say it was a terrific event that really delivered on that brief.
There weren’t a lot of people there, but it really felt like it mattered. The exercise was certainly beneficial. There was definitely an intensity about proceedings and make no mistake, the Great Britain and Ireland team wanted to beat the Continental Europeans and vice versa. I actually thought GB&I would win comfortably. I underestimated the Europeans.
I did get the sense that a lot of people are seriously up for this Ryder Cup. What happened at Whistling Straits in 2021 has clearly made an impact on not only those who took part, but those who were watching on from the sidelines too. It was a hammering and it seems everyone in Europe is determined to put things right later this year.
The standout player across the whole tournament for me was
Adrian Meronk. He’s one I really looked at and thought ‘You’re made for the team’. He looked right up for it and he’s a really good player. He’s in good shape to qualify at the moment, with two victories on the DP World Tour over the last seven months and a strong showing in Abu Dhabi.
Luke Donald was watching on intently and he’ll have been delighted to see Continental Europe’s team captain Francesco Molinari coming back into form. With six picks and the prospect of a number of experienced LIV players not making the side, Donald will need some veterans in the side, and Molinari would fit that bill. If he makes it automatically, that will free up a pick for Donald; if he doesn’t, and he’s playing well, he’ll be hard to leave out, especially given he’s Italian.
The pairing I’d love to see in Rome is Molinari and Guido Migliozzi. That would be an amazing duo on home soil. Migliozzi is another one who seems to have the fire and passion in his belly. He’s shown up in a couple of recent Majors, too, and that’s a really good sign.
It’s going to be a fascinating few months as we watch which players qualify automatically or make a strong case for selection. To me, seven guys are pretty much assured of a place: Jon Rahm, Rory Mcilroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland. Then there’s the likes of Molinari, Rose, Power, Macintyre, Migliozzi, the Hojgaards, Meronk, Pieters and Perez all lining up. I do think Power and Mcintyre stand good chances of making the team – they’re both fine players and have a bit of mongrel in them, and Bob won at Marco Simone GC at last year’s Italian Open. But, as is the case for all these guys, they have to continue to play well. Consistency will be key between now and September.
The player who’s started the year hotter than anyone is Victor Perez. He was on the winning side at the Hero Cup and then overcame tough conditions and a tough golf course to claim the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title. He wasn’t far off making the team for Whistling Straits and has come through a spell of iffy form to be right back to his best. Last year, he won the Dutch Open in a play-off against Ryan Fox, where he holed a series of incredible putts to get the job done. He’s a past winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and now he’s a Rolex Series victor too. I think he’d be a great addition to the team.
I played with him a few months back as part of my Round With Radar series with Ping and he really impressed me – as well as being a top lad, he’s a very good player. But, as we’ve said, there are a lot of those around on the European scene right now. Donald will certainly have a lot to think about over the next few months, but, as they say, it’s a good problem to have.
“Everyone in Europe seems determined to put things right later this year in Rome”