ABU DHABI: Great Britain & Ireland recorded an emphatic 17-8 victory over Continental Europe at the 2025 Team Cup on Sunday at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.

The GB&I side, led by Justin Rose, held a commanding seven-point lead at the start of play, needing just two points to complete their triumph ahead of Sunday’s singles session.

Rose said it was a “huge honor” to lead the team. “Loved the challenge of it. Loved the experience of it, and the lads have made me look incredibly good at it.”

“The way they played was first class,” he added. “We had one clear message, which was to get on the front foot to try to be relentless to play wave after wave.

“Playing on a big lead, everybody felt like we could get the job done, but just to focus on individual and personal pride, kind of continue the message of the week.”

Englishman Laurie Canter earned the first point of the afternoon as he beat the previously undefeated Romain Langasque 5&4, and Tommy Fleetwood claimed the crucial winning point for his side, just as the Ryder Cup stalwart did at Marco Simone in 2023, defeating Matthieu Pavon 3&1.

Fleetwood’s victory over the Frenchman gave him a perfect record as he ended the event as the only player to win all four of his matches across the three days.

The GB&I team threatened a rout as they led in nine of the 10 matches at one stage during the afternoon.

But Continental Europe orchestrated a brave fightback, first with Niklas Norgaard winning 3&2 against Matthew Jordan, followed by Antoine Rozer and Matteo Manassero, who each won their matches 1Up.

“The leaderboard early in the round was astonishing, really,” Rose added. “Every credit to Continental Europe and Francesco himself and the team as a whole.

“The whole matches were played in great spirit but yeah, my team definitely holed the right putts at the right time and won most of those key matches.”

“You can’t simulate the intensity of a Ryder Cup with the crowd and the energy,” the GB&I captain added. “But at the end of the day, as soon as you put a crest here and you have 10 mates right behind you, you want to win.

“Even practice rounds playing with our mates on tour, you never like to lose. So the intensity is there. The competitiveness is there. Just the environment is hard to simulate.

Continental Europe’s Captain Francesco Molinari came back from two down with seven holes to play to earn half a point against Jordan Smith.

And Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard staged an equally impressive comeback as he battled a three-hole deficit with five to play, halving against Aaron Rai.

“I think I probably could have done a slightly better job with the boys,” Molinari said.

“They gave it all they had. Our side was maybe more inexperienced players in this kind of event but they are great guys and they did their best. The GB&I team was just too hard for us this week.”

MELBOURNE: Pat Cummins returns for Australia’s ICC Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan next month after skipping their Sri Lanka Test tour, with injured paceman Josh Hazlewood also in the squad announced Monday.

Australian captain Cummins opted out of the Sri Lanka series starting later this month for the birth of his second child. He is also reportedly carrying a knee injury.

Hazlewood was included in the two-time tournament winners’ preliminary 15-man line-up after calf and side strains restricted him to just two Tests against India over the summer.

While they return, opener Jake Fraser-McGurk was dumped, paying the price for his poor recent form after opening for Australia during their most-recent one-day series against Pakistan.

“This is a balanced and experienced squad with the core having been involved in the previous one-day World Cup, the West Indies series, last year’s successful tour of the UK and the more recent Pakistan home series,” said chief selector George Bailey.

“It offers a variety of options for touring management depending on opposition and the conditions that may present in Pakistan.”

The eight-nation Champions Trophy, between February 19 and March 9, will be played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa