Champions Tee Up for World Cup

Players from 28 nations, who have shared in numerous triumphs around the world over the past season, will tee up at the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup at Mission Hills Golf Club, China, from November 22-25. A top quality field has now been confirmed for the event following the completion of the two qualifying competitions in Asia and Latin America last weekend, which saw ten countries join the 18 exempt nations already announced. Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng led the way with victory in the Asian Qualifier – the Fortis International Challenge – in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with The Netherlands, New Zealand, Korea and the Philippines also emerging successfully from the qualifying examination. Meanwhile Puerto Rico won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Aruba Qualifier in the Dutch Caribbean to secure their place in the field along with Ireland, Colombia, Italy and Paraguay. Major Champions and a host of global winners will tee up at Mission Hills, with Germany defending the title they won in Barbados last December. This year, they will be represented by emerging star Martin Kaymer and established winner, Alex Cejka. Two-time US Open Champion Retief Goosen of South Africa, José Maria Olazábal of Spain who designed the course at Mission Hills for the 2007 World Cup, and Mike Weir of Canada – both Masters winners - will be partnered by Trevor Immelman, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Wes Heffernan respectively. Goosen and Immelman have both tasted World Cup success in the past. The former was part of South Africa’s victorious team in Japan in 2001 while the latter savoured success at Kiawah Island four years ago. Goosen and Zhang Lian-wei of host country China are both making a sentimental return to Mission Hills, 12 years after representing their respective countries in the 1995 World Cup. South Africa and China finished eighth and 27th respectively that year and will be determined to secure a higher placing this time around. The host nation, China, will be represented at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup by the older generation in Zhang – the first Chinese golfer to win on The European Tour – and the younger generation in Liang Wen-chong, the most recent player from China to win on The European Tour earlier this season in Singapore.

Confirmed field:
Argentina: Andres Romero and Ricardo Gonzalez
Australia: Nick O’Hern and Nathan Green
Austria: Markus Brier and Claude Grenier
Canada: Mike Weir and Wes Heffernan
China: Liang Wen-chong and Zhang Lian-wei
Colombia: Gustavo Mendoza and Jorge Benedetti
Denmark: Anders Hansen and Søren Hansen
England: Justin Rose and Ian Poulter
France: Raphaël Jacquelin and Gregory Havret
Finland: Mikko Ilonen and Pasi Purhonen
Germany: Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka
India: Jyoti Randhawa and Gaurev Ghei
Ireland: Michael Hoey and Gareth Maybin
Italy: Edoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari
Japan: Hideto Tanihara and Tetsuji Hiratsuka
Korea: Lee Seung-ho and Lee Sung
New Zealand: Richard Lee and Stephen Scahill
Paraguay: Carlos Franco and Fabrizio Zanotti
Philippines: Tony Lascuna and Gerald Rosales
Puerto Rico: Wilfredo Morales and Miguel Suárez
Scotland: Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren
South Africa: Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman
Spain: José Maria Olazábal and Miguel Angel Jiménez
Sweden: Robert Karlsson and Peter Hanson
Thailand: Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng
The Netherlands: Robert-Jan Derksen and Maarten Lafeber
United States: Arron Oberholser and Sean O’Hair
Wales: Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge