Luke Donald will have the upmost faith in his players after Hero Cup showing

Team golf has been in the headlines somewhat in recent times and there’s no doubt that it has a part to play in the professional game, in a bigger way than we’ve seen in recent years. I can’t envisage the day when the Ryder Cup is knocked off its perch as the preeminent match, with its ability to reach beyond the usual golfing audience. But it was heartening to watch the first instalment of the Hero Cup played in Abu Dhabi just after the New Year celebrations.

Twenty players from Europe battling it out in intense competition was a tremendous way to start the season and I was fortunate to get a bird’s eye view from the commentary box. The golf was scintillating.

Francesco Molinari led his team to a hardwon victory over Tommy Fleetwood’s men with all sorts of fairly new faces coming to the fore. Luke Donald and his team of Vice Captains were in town to cast an eye over proceedings and I’m left with no doubt that, come September, when the golfing world stops to watch the Ryder Cup in Rome, he will have the upmost faith in all his players - whether they be rookies or seasoned campaigners.

What most impressed me was not only the quality of the golf but also the passion that was shown by both teams in the search for victory. Names like Rozner, Meronk, Ferguson and Smith, new to the top level of the game, showed off just what they’re made of. Nicolai Hojgaard, the last man into either side showed both power and poise on his way to an unbeaten record, and best of all Guido Migliozzi reminded us that Molinari is not the only Italian with the credentials to tee it up in Rome. What a boost for the Ryder cup it would be too have one, if not two, home boys in the team.

One star from team Continental Europe was undoubtedly Victor Perez, a player who showed as much commitment to the cause as anyone. It didn’t surprise me in the least that it was he that went on to take the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship just across the road, at Yas Links, a week later.

A thrilling finish to say the least saw Sebastian Soderberg and Min Woo Lee give Victor the fight of his life to lift his first Rolex Series trophy. In the end it took the shot of his life, a holed green side bunker shot on the penultimate hole to get him across the line. Victor himself described how you need a little luck to actually win, and spinning a bunker shot back into the hole after the tiniest of miss hits was what it took. Perez deserved his luck, his play was sublime from start to finish, and in the end, it took a cool head when facing some last hole drama to seal the deal. Both experiences, the high of the hole out and then the despair of finding a water hazard in two at the last, will only strengthen his chances of taking one of the world’s great prizes in the future.

Soderberg will leave satisfied that, bar a disastrous triple bogey from the green’s edge on Saturday, his play was better than anyone’s, and

Min Woo Lee won’t be too upset. Remember he has just finished in the top 12 of his last seven tournaments! It’s safe to say there’s plenty of game being shown by the new generation of DP World Tour players.

I was also amazed once again whilst watching the players of the G4D Tour go about their business in Abu Dhabi. If you haven’t watched any snippets of the golf for disabled tour then I encourage you to take a look. Golf is about getting the ball in the hole and nothing else. Take heart that there are many ways to do this, I’ll say no more so I don’t spoil the surprise!

On a sad note, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the passing of Barry Lane - one of England’s finest golfers. I grew up watching Ryder Cups in my teenage years and vividly remember watching Barry at The Belfry in 1989. There seemed to be an ease to the way in which Barry played. It all looked so natural to me and his short putter was something I adopted as I made my own way in the game.

I can honestly say it was a treat the first time I played with him. That’s one of the cool things about getting on tour - you get to play with players you have looked up to and Barry was one of them for me. When he kindly chose to mention, years later, that I always scored well when I was in his company, I couldn’t have thanked him enough. The truth was perhaps that I was always trying to impress him, just like he always had me. Rest in peace Barry, rest in peace.

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The Set Up

Adopt a narrower stance with your left foot slightly flared out. This ensures we can rotate properly through the entire shot and doesn’t restrict our body’s natural momentum when swinging the club. Ensure the hands are in line with the ball to help with the consistency of the strike.