Power and Lowry named in GB and I Hero Cup team

TULSA, OK - MAY 22: Seamus Power of Ireland hits his shot from a bunker on the sixth hole during the final round of the 2022 PGA Championship at the Southern Hills on May 22, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

Séamus Power has been named alongside Shane Lowry in the Great Britain and Ireland side to face Continental Europe in the inaugural Hero Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 13-15.

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald today announced nine players on each side with the final two spots on each team to be announced following the conclusion of the DP World Tour calendar year.

The new tournament, which is a new version of the old Seve Trophy, is designed to help Donald spot possible partnerships and team dynamics that can help Europe win back the Ryder Cup in Rome next year.

Donald confirmed the teams in consultation with Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari, who will compete as playing captains for Great Britain and Ireland and Continental Europe, respectively.

The Great Britain and Ireland team, led by two-time Ryder Cup player Fleetwood, boasts 2019 Open champion Lowry and four-time Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton.

Fleetwood, who combined with Molinari to collect four points from four matches at the 2018 Ryder Cup in France, said: "I am really pleased with the players who will form the Great Britain and Ireland team next year.

"Having the experience of Shane and Tyrrell will be invaluable for the rest of the team in a match play environment, but I think we are really strong throughout the team. We have proven winners in some of the biggest DP World Tour events and it will be great to have Séámus with us following his excellent start to the season in America.”

Shane Lowry tees off on the 17th hole during the first round at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Robert Beck/USGA)

Power's inclusion in the side is no surprise given his meteoric rise in the game over the past 18 months.

The West Waterford man (35) has won twice on the PGA Tour since July 2021, rising to a career-high of 28th in the world from outside the top 500 just 29 months ago after following his second PGA Tour win in Bermuda last month with top-five finishes in his last two starts to the top of the FedEx Cup standings.

Power and Lowry, who is ranked 20th in the world as he prepares to join Tiger Woods in this week's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, will be joined by DP World Tour winners Ewen Ferguson, Robert MacIntyre, Callum Shinkwin, Jordan Smith and Matt Wallace.

Both Power and Lowry are expected to remain in Abu Dhabi to compete in the following week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title at Yas Links, where Belgium's Thomas Pieters defends his title.

Pieters is one of three former Ryder Cup players in the Continental Europe team, alongside Molinari and Sweden's Alex Noren.

They are joined by Austrian Sepp Straka, who won his maiden PGA TOUR title at The Honda Classic in 2022, three-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus Højgaard, two-time winner Victor Perez and Adrian Meronk, who became the first Polish player to win on the DP World Tour when he claimed the 2022 Horizon Irish Open.

Belgium's Thomas Detry has also enjoyed a strong start to his rookie PGA TOUR season finishing in the top 12 in three of the five events played -- including second place to Power in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Three-time DP World Tour winner Guido Migliozzi of Italy, who claimed the biggest victory of his career in September at the Cazoo Open de France, is another plus for the Continentals.

Luke Donald. Picture: Getty Images

Donald, the 2023 European Ryder Cup Captain, said: "Having worked closely with Tommy and Fran on building the two teams, I'm delighted with the mix of players who will be on show at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in January.

"We all thought it was important to combine experience and youthfulness, and I think we have found that balance with a mixture of Major Champions and Ryder Cup players alongside guys who are hoping to secure a spot in Rome next year."

Molinari, the Continental Europe Captain and 2018 Open Champion, said: "Our team is packed full of exciting players who all have the attributes to excel in a match play contest and I'm excited to lead them into the Hero Cup next year.

"Some of our younger players have already shown incredible maturity in high-pressured situations and proved they can perform in big moments, so giving them the opportunity to compete on this stage alongside the likes of Alex Noren and Thomas Pieters will be really important at the beginning of what could be a big year for them."

2023 Hero Cup Teams

Continental Europe:

• Francesco Molinari (C),

• Thomas Detry,

• Rasmus Højgaard,

• Adrian Meronk,

• Guido Migliozzi,

• Alex Noren,

• Victor Perez,

• Thomas Pieters,

• Sepp Straka,

• Player TBC

Great Britain & Ireland

• Tommy Fleetwood (C),

• Ewen Ferguson,

• Tyrrell Hatton,

• Shane Lowry,

• Robert Macintyre,

• Seamus Power,

• Callum Shinkwin,

• Jordan Smith,

• Matt Wallace,

• Player TBC.