The DP World Tour has announced the Hero Cup, a new team match play contest aimed at giving European players experience in the format ahead of potential future Ryder Cup appearances.
Two 10-man teams comprising players from Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe will be selected by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, with the event taking place at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 13-15, 2023.
Donald will work with both teams in Abu Dhabi and will keep a close eye on the action inside the ropes across the three days, with the two team captains to be announced in due course.
The contest will consist of one session of foursomes, one session of fourballs and one session of singles matches, with all 20 players taking part in each session.
"One of the first things I was keen to do when I was appointed as Ryder Cup Captain was to reinstate a team match play contest to give playing and leadership experience to future Ryder Cup players, vice-captains and captains," Donald said.
"I spoke to a number of former Ryder Cup Captains who were strong advocates of how similar events in the past have benefitted players who were pushing to make Ryder Cup teams, as well as their own captaincy journey.
"I am therefore grateful to Hero MotoCorp and the DP World Tour for supporting the concept of the Hero Cup and I look forward to seeing the players compete at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in January."
The two teams will be confirmed following the conclusion of the 2022 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, with performance on the DP World Tour Rankings considered in the player selection process.
The event will mark the start of the 2023 DP World Tour calendar and be the first of back-to-back tournaments in Abu Dhabi, with the Rolex Series event at Yas Island taking place the following week.
Guy Kinnings, European Ryder Cup Director and the DP World Tour's Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer, said: "The Hero Cup is another example of Hero MotoCorp's commitment to innovation in golf and to our Tour in general. We are therefore extremely grateful to Dr. Munjal for his continued support and for backing this new event which is an evolution of our proud tradition of team match play events."
Why should we look forward to the Hero Cup?
The tournament shares similarities with the former Seve Trophy, which was a biennial golf event between a team representing Great Britain and Ireland and one from Continental Europe from 2000-2013.
Sky Sports News' Jamie Weir: "On paper, a very exciting format and something that golf fans should be looking forward to in Abu Dhabi next January. It's the week before the Abu Dhabi Championship, which usually attracts a very strong calibre of player and strong field.
"A lot of people will remember the Seve Trophy which was exactly the same format - GB and Ireland against Continental Europe. It began in 2000 and finally petered out in 2013, but back in the day, it attracted a really strong field.
"The premise behind this and the logic behind this is they want the player to get some match play experience before next year's Ryder Cup in Rome. I think it'll be invaluable for Luke Donald and in terms of the names involved, we'll be hearing a bit more about that over the coming months."