Mission Hills Golf Club plays host to the World Cup for the first time this week, and the Molinari brothers will be aiming to retain the title they won in 2009.
The 28-team field will be challenged by a long par-73, which includes five par 5s along with the usual quartet of par 3s. The course boasts elevation changes, ravines, lakes and ancient village ruins that will all add to the spectacle. The forecast shows it is expected to be dry on Thursday, with the threat of storms for the final three rounds.
Defending champions Italy once again consist of brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari. The brothers bid to help Italy become the first nation to defend the cup in more than a decade.The pair became the first brothers – and the first Italians – to win the World Cup when they edged out Ireland and Sweden by a single stroke two years ago.
Favourites to lift the Omega Mission Hills World Cup are Ireland who are made up of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. The pair return after finishing runners-up in 2009, and both have won a major since. McDowell has two third-placed finishes in his last six starts, while McIlroy has six straight top-fours, including a win at the Shanghai Masters. The pair are aiming to become the first Irishmen since 1997 to lift the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, when Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley took the honours.
The South African duo of Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen will strike fear into the rest of the pack. Schwartzel enters the tournament on the back of a 3-1-1 record in the Presidents Cup. While fellow major champion and good friend Louis Oosthuizen has rebounded from a poor year with top 10s in five of his last six starts.
Dynamic duo Ian Poulter and Justin Rose fly the flag for England at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup. The pair were partnered at the 2007 World Cup where they placed fourth, while the two recorded 2-1-0 as partners in the 2008 Ryder Cup.
The United States team is made up of Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar. Woodland's golf fortunes have turned around full circle since 2009. During the last World Cup Woodland was recovering from injury and was ranked 950th in the world. Kuchar's record (1-3-1) at the Presidents Cup looks unimpressive, however all three losses were 1-down.
Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Alvaro Quiros are paired in an explosive partnership. The cigar-chewing 47-year-old refuses to drift away and is ranked 40th in the world with three runner-up finishes in 2011, while Quiros' booming drives will be an asset.
Sweden's Robert Karlsson will be paired with Alex Noren, who already has two titles, to his name so far this season. Karlsson, who linked up with Noren to winning effect at the Royal Trophy last year, is seeking his second victory at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, having triumphed in tandem with Henrik Stenson in 2008.
Other leading contenders include the Danish duo of Anders Hansen and Thorbjørn Olesen, and the German pair of Alex Cejka and Martin Kaymer.
