MacIntyre Says He’s A Winner, Despite Being On Losing Hero Cup Side

3 years ago by Comments Off on MacIntyre Says He’s A Winner, Despite Being On Losing Hero Cup Side

… in Abu Dhabi ​

Top-ranked Scot Bob MacIntyre may have been on a losing GB & I Hero Cup side but he reckons he’s come out a winner ahead of his next hopeful team event later this year in Rome.​

Continental Europe emerged from three days of Hero Cup competition four points winners with an impressive 14 ½ to 10 ½ triumph over the host Abu Dhabi host course.

European captain Francesco Molinari led by example securing the first Singles win with a 2 & 1 success over fellow Open Champion Shane Lowry and with Austrian Adam Meronk holing the winning putt while Europe won six of the 10 last day matches.

The Hero Cup was brought back onto the DP World Tour schedule following the loss of the Seve Trophy, a similar event inaugurated in 2000 and ending in 2013, and with Europe winning just twice in the nine events, and that being in the first and last years.

Molinari had been a member of the 2013 winning side and ended competition in the UAE capital unbeaten his four matches, winning  4 ½ points from a possible five.

After winning five from five points at the 2018 Ryder Cup, Molinari has now won 9 ½ points from 10 matches in his last two match-play appearances.

Molinari said: “Amazing, amazing. I c​an​ finally relax ​as th​​​​​e last couple of hours have been tense after finishing my ​own match.​

“It’s been great all week, super happy for the guys. Like I said all week, it’s been very, very easy leading them and being a captain for them. I think we found some really good pairings and just had a great week to start the year and I can only wish them all best for the rest of the season”.

MacIntyre was out in the penultimate match and handing out a 5 & 3 drubbing to Swede Alex Noren​ but​ while on a losing team, the reigning Italian Open champ is now even more excited to be ​hopefully ​heading back to Rome in September as a member this time in a European team.

MacIntyre said: “I ​now ​enjoy ​even more ​anything ​to do ​with a team.​ ​​​​​​​I play​ed a lot of​ shinty and I remember heading up to Glenurquhart last year in a relegation battle and we won the game 2-1 when we should never have won it.

“The buzz that you have in the changing room after something like that is special. Unfortunately, not winning this week means it’s not going to be as special on this occasion​ but ​I’m just proud of the way I played. I never gave up, let a couple of little things get to me but, overall, I played solid. I’m also proud of the guys who were out there fighting with me and never gave up.

“Even yesterday afternoon with Seamus (Power), we were down, but we weren’t out. We kept punching and fighting and that’s all you can do.”

Fellow Scot Ewen Ferguson saw his first taste of pro team competition end with a 5 & 4 defeat at the hands of Texas-based Austrian Sepp Straka.

The Scot lost the first but went 1up after three holes but with Straka winning four holes in succession from the sixth hole and claiming the win with a birdie on 14.

Ferguson said: “It was tough today. I played poorly. I tried to get it going, but it unravelled, to be honest. I tried to take on things, but made more mistakes when I should probably have been more patient and accepted that halves sometimes aren’t that bad.

“Instead of just trying to hit fairways and greens, all of a sudden I was trying to hit harder off tee shots to get it further and trying to hit it stiff all the time.

“I just didn’t play my style of golf at all and didn’t put any pressure on him”.

The two Scots will now join all other 18 players, along with Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, teeing-up later this week at nearby Yas Links for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the first regular event of the New Year.



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