Hero Cup: Seve Ballesteros’ son criticises DP World Tour over launch of Seve Trophy ‘copy’ | Golf Information

Seve Trophy, named after Ballesteros, final featured on the DP World Tour schedule in 2013; Hero Cup – utilizing the same format – was introduced forward of the BMW PGA Championship and can happen in Abu Dhabi in January 2023

Javier Ballesteros, Seve’s son, criticised the DP World Tour on social media

The son of the late Seve Ballesteros has criticised the DP World Tour following the launch of the Hero Cup, a workforce match play contest aimed toward boosting Europe’s bid to regain the Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will oversee the occasion in Abu Dhabi from January 13-15 together with two enjoying captains, with two 10-man groups competing in foursomes, fourballs and singles and all 20 gamers participating in every session.

The competitors successfully fills the hole left by the Seve Trophy, which was held eight instances between 2000 and 2013 and gave captaincy expertise to future Ryder Cup skippers Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.

Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant

European captain Luke Donald says the brand new Hero Cup will assist put together European golfers for the Ryder Cup by permitting them to expertise workforce match play

Ballesteros, who died from issues of a cancerous mind tumour in 2011, additionally captained the European facet 4 instances, together with to a one-point victory within the inaugural occasion at Sunningdale in 2000.

The five-time main winner’s son Javier wrote on Twitter: “Final October an ET participant got here to me to say that European Tour was fascinated about bringing Seve Trophy again (I used to be very glad about this).

“I heard nothing extra about it till solely sooner or later earlier than the announcement was made, when ET contacted me to let me know there was a “new” match play occasion – being this an actual copy of The Seve Trophy – and wished my dad to be concerned not directly.

“We clearly mentioned NO. We do not need something out of this, however solely The Seve Trophy again, not a replica of it. We imagine our dad deserves one thing higher from The European Tour, given the unconditional assist he all the time gave to The European Tour and the legacy he left behind.”

The European Tour was rebranded because the DP World Tour in November final yr.

DP World Tour deputy CEO Man Kinnings mentioned: “The ultimate preparations got here collectively in a short time to allow us to stage a workforce occasion in early 2023. I used to be personally in contact with the Ballesteros household earlier than the announcement to transient them and we intend to debate additional with them.

“We honour Seve’s legacy in some ways. His identify adorns one in every of our essential assembly rooms at our Wentworth HQ, we modified the identify of our gamers’ participant award to the Seve Ballesteros award in 2017 and I bear in mind within the 2018 Ryder Cup in France the place the very last thing our gamers noticed earlier than they left the locker room to go on the course was Seve’s Ryder Cup bag with the phrase written above it, ‘This is the reason you might be right here’.

“We respect Seve’s legacy each single day and we are going to proceed to take action.”