“No golf event gets close to it” - Ryder Cup legends gives pep talk to European players ahead of Hero Cup

The 2023 Hero Cup is underway in Abu Dhabi and will have its finale this weekend. The championship was initiated to prepare golfers for the Ryder Cup.

Ahead of the championship, all the golfers had a pre-tournament briefing in which the Ryder Cup legends shared their experiences and gave valuable advice to the players.

Jose Maria Olazabal, Paul McGinley, and Thomas Bjorn joined the youngsters and shared their victory experience. The Hero Cup is an amazing platform for rising stars to exhibit and sharpen their golfing skills.

There were a lot of statistics, pep talks, and emotional experiences shared by the legendary captains. Olazabal took the anchor’s seat and said:

"It was Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley, and myself, and we just talked about our experience of the Ryder Cup from our own point of view."

Olazabal went on to say:

"Obviously Paul was much more analytical while Thomas and I talked a bit more about our personal experiences. I told them a few stories about Seve and myself, and about my first Ryder Cup in ’97 at Muirfield Village. I think it was a good night, players and caddies that were there were listening carefully, let’s put it that way."

The 56-year-old also shared his story of playing as a rookie during the initial days of his career. The star golfer said:

"First time I played as a rookie, I think, to be honest, Tony Jacklin, the captain, didn’t know what to do with me – I think it was Seve who said just put me with Ollie, and we’ll be OK."

Playing in the Ryder Cup has been bliss for the golfers, who proudly flaunt their experiences and relive the memories created at the tournaments. Olazabal said:

"I think it’s a huge learning curve to figure out what it takes to deliver at those crucial moments. The Ryder Cup is unique, there’s no other golf event that gets close to it in atmosphere, in experiences or relationships. I think it’s huge."

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Europe takes the lead over GB&I at the Hero Cup

Two teams of ten players each are competing in the Hero Cup 2023. The tournament already started on Friday, and after the first round, Europe took the lead over GB&I (Great Britain and Ireland). Continental Europe is one point ahead of GB&I after the opening round.

The day started with Tom Fleetwood and Shane Lowry playing on the ninth hole against Alex Noren and Thomas Pieters.

The match turned in Europe's favor after Jordan Smith and Tyrrell Hatton missed their shots in the final against Thomas Detry and Antoine Rozner.

Fleetwood was happy with his team's performance and was looking forward to the second round. He said:

"I think in the end, to get out of that session 3-2 we’ll definitely go back to our team rooms feeling better. I just said to the guys I trust them to get something out of it at the last and be very tough coming down that last hole."

Great Britain and Ireland still have two more rounds to earn the lead. The Hero Cup will conclude on Sunday, January 15.