Hero Cup: DP World Tour launch Ryder Cup-style event in bid to help Europe regain trophy

Ryder Cup captain and former world number one will select teams for the Hero Cup

The DP World Tour has launched the Hero Cup, a new team match play contest, in a bid to help Europe regain the the Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will select two 10-man teams made up of players from Great Britain and Ireland and continental Europe.

The Hero Cup will take place in Abu Dhabi from 13-15 January, 2023.

"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 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."

The Englishman, who replaced Henrik Stenson as Europe's Ryder Cup captain after the Swede was sacked for defecting to LIV Golf, was one of Padraig Harrington's vice-captains for the 2021 Ryder Cup in Wisconsin, where the United States claimed a record 19-9 victory.

The two teams will compete in one round of foursomes, one of fourballs and a singles, with all 20 players taking part in each session.

Teams for the Hero Cup will be confirmed following November's season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and performance on the Tour rankings will be considered in the selection process.

However, it is unlikely that Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm will play in the Hero Cup because it clashes with the PGA Tour's Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. It is one of the "elevated" events the American-based circuit's top players have committed to playing in response to the threat of LIV Golf.

European Ryder Cup director Guy Kinnings said: "We have a pretty good model that works well on the Ryder Cup but clearly every cycle you need to improve; we certainly needed to improve on the last time and we've looked at every aspect and listened to everyone."

The DP World Tour had issued a ban on players who competed in June's inaugural Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Golf event from July's Scottish Open and fined them £100,000.

However, those suspensions were lifted before the event and as things stand, LIV recruits are still eligible to play on the DP World Tour and earn Ryder Cup qualifying points from this week's BMW PGA Championship.

Kinnings did not confirm whether LIV participants would be chosen for the Hero Cup.