World Cup Beckons for Monty and Warren

Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren will head to the Omega Mission Hills World Cup with more expectation than hope of going one better than their second place finish at the event in 2006. It was just a year ago that the Scots pair missed out on World Cup glory after a sudden-death play-off with Germany’s Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem, but, after a season that has seen both players record victories on The European Tour, as well as teaming up in Great Britain and Ireland’s recent Seve Trophy victory, the patriotic pair believe victory over the Olazábal Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in China from November 22-25 is a real possibility. Montgomerie, whose win at the 2007 Smurfit Kappa European Open was his 31st European Tour success, said: “I felt we played well through the week in Barbados last year. I missed the green at the last hole and unfortunately that was that. We lost the play-off, so we’ll be hoping to go one better this year. “We have a great opportunity. Marc’s obviously playing well and I’m getting the ball round, so we could have a good time this year. We’re both going there as winners. I’ve won this year in Ireland and Marc won at Gleneagles - a great victory for him - and I think we’ll go to China as one of the favourites.” Warren, who secured his second European Tour career victory at the 2007 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, said: “We were so close to winning it last year. It was a shame to lose in the play-off, but Colin and I performed great together, so hopefully it’ll be the same again this year. “He’s said a lot of very flattering things about my game and golf. I cannot believe some of the things he has said. To hear things like that from such a great player like Monty is very flattering. I’m just there as his back-up! We have a great chance if we play well and it would be an honour to win the World Cup for Scotland.”