Going into the final day of the Hero Cup, Continental Europe held a two point lead over Tommy Fleetwood's Great Britain & Ireland team of 10 men. It would be an uphill struggle for team GB&I and, consequently, it showed, as Francesco Molinari's squad claimed a clinical victory in the afternoon singles.
Leading from the front, captain Molinari put away the ever-so dangerous Shane Lowry, with the two Champion Golfers of the Year putting on a super match that saw 13 birdies in 16 holes, as Molinari picked up a 3&2 victory over the Irishman.
Not wanting to be outdone in the captain's stakes, GB&I captain Fleetwood also secured a 3&2 victory over Thomas Pieters, with fellow countryman Tyrrell Hatton claiming the joint biggest victory of the week as he dismantled Antoine Rozner with a 5&4 win.
Nicolai Hojgaard's match with Seamus Power was yet another thriller, as the 21-year-old picked up a 1-up victory over the FedEx Cup leader, Power and, in the following match, Matt Wallace made a real statement as he secured a 2&1 win over Thomas Detry.
Although GB&I were up 3-2 in the opening five matches, it was the final five games where Continental Europe dominated, as they picked up 4&2, 5&4 and 4&3 victories to move nearer to the trophy.
Fleetwood with 2023 European Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald
Eventually, it was Poland's Adrian Meronk who secured the winning point, as his lengthy birdie putt never left the hole, dropping in for a crucial win as Continental Europe made it to the magical number 13.
Now 13.5 - 10.5 up, it was Italy's Guido Migliozzi who claimed the final point of the tournament, as a commanding 4&3 victory led to a final 14.5 - 9.5 score line. Speaking after the winning putt, captain Molinari stated that "it's an amazing feeling and I can finally relax!
"It's been great all week and it has been very easy leading them and being a captain for them. I think we found some really good pairings and it's been a fantastic start to the year."
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