The middle day of the Hero Cup sees two sessions of foursomes being played out in Abu Dhabi and with 10 points up for grabs over the course of Saturday, the competition is set to go up a notch from here on in you would think.
We have morning and afternoon sessions of foursomes to enjoy and while we will be able to preview the morning session, the close proximity between morning and afternoon will mean we won’t get time to cover the second session.
Ewen Ferguson & Richard Mansell vs Thomas Pieters & Alex Noren
Match tees off at 03.35 GMT
The opening match of a super Saturday sees two pairs who were out together on Friday battling it out against different opposition as Ewen Ferguson and Richard Mansell go out alongside Thomas Pieters and Alex Noren.
Both pairs were undefeated in fourballs on Friday. The British pair halved their game while the European duo picked up the point on the last hole of a match they were well in front in early only to let the advantage slip before regaining it at the end. Pieters and Noren were nine under for the better ball on Friday and they should combine nicely with the length of Pieters and the iron play of Noren. Ferguson and Mansell were in good form on Friday too which was very impressive when you consider they hadn’t seen the course before. I still have to think the European pair will win this one but I respect how well the Brits played on Friday and won’t take odds on against them.
Tommy Fleetwood & Tyrrell Hatton vs Sepp Straka & Thomas Detry
Match tees off at 03.45 GMT
The second match of the day sees two men who have won around this golf course pairing up as Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton go up against the put together European pairing of Sepp Straka and Thomas Detry.
Fleetwood and Hatton would have gone into the competition expected to win most of their matches but they go into Friday looking to rebound from surprise defeats. They were alongside different partners and will hope to gel better with each other here. Straka was well beat in his match on Friday but Detry has the confidence of beating Hatton and he’ll fancy the ball striking skills of the Austrian to set him on his way here. All things being equal it is going to be hard to go against the English pair but they are far too short in one of these 18 hole matches particularly when Hatton didn’t really play that well on Friday.
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Callum Shinkwin & Matt Wallace vs Francesco Molinari & Nicolai Hojgaard
Match tees off at 03.55 GMT
The middle match sees two pairings who played with each other on Friday back in action on Saturday when good friends Callum Shinkwin and Matt Wallace take on Francesco Molinari and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Both teams halved their matches on Friday. Shinkwin and Wallace were involved in a cracking contest with Victor Perez and Guido Migliozzi in what was a birdie fest for both teams and if they play that well then they are going to be very tough to stop here. Molinari and Hojgaard were ahead in their match for the most part but the inability to hole big putts down the stretch cost them a win. That was never more evident than on the last hole when both had putts to win the match from inside 15 feet but in truth neither putt threatened the hole. You have to fear for a pair who aren’t in good form with the putter but I’m not convinced Shinkwin and Wallace can blend together as well in this format. If I was pushed I’d back the Wallace putter to come good but I’m happy to leave this one alone.
Jordan Smith & Robert MacIntyre vs Antoine Rozner & Adrian Meronk
Match tees off at 04.05 GMT
The penultimate match in the first session of play on Saturday sees the British pair of Jordan Smith and Robert MacIntyre teaming up for the first time this week to take on Antoine Rozner and the winner in Australia last month in Adrian Meronk.
This looks like it could be a decent match between four men who are right up there in the ball striking stakes. MacIntyre is the real deal and feeding off the Jordan Smith tee shots should be a dream but there is a concern over Smith’s putting. It is historically the weakness of his game and it could be the difference maker here. Rozner probably is the weaker of the two putters from a European standpoint but he actually putted very well on Friday. Meronk is more than capable with the putter and with both of these players being decent ball strikers I think they could be a good value price to cause what would be a betting upset.
Shane Lowry & Seamus Power vs Victor Perez & Guido Migliozzi
Match tees off at 04.15 GMT
The final match of the morning session looks an absolute belter as the Irish duo of Shane Lowry and Seamus Power go out alongside arguably the best pairing of the lot on Friday in Victor Perez and Guido Migliozzi.
Lowry was beaten alongside Tommy Fleetwood on Friday but might gel better with his fellow Irishman here. Power is coming off the back of the most emphatic win of the day with MacIntyre and it is actually a surprise they have been split up. They go up against Victor Perez and Guido Migliozzi who traded birdies in a brilliant halved match with Shinkwin and Wallace on Friday but while they looked a birdie machine in fourballs, the erratic nature of the Italian could make them vulnerable here if they are slightly off their game. The fact that Lowry and Power are so good on and around the greens makes me think that they will probably have enough to win this but they are plenty short enough so I’ll leave them alone too.
Tips
Back A.Rozner & A.Meronk to beat R.MacIntyre & J.Smith for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with William Hill
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