Ireland must be considered the favourities with the announcement of the teams for the 2011 World Cup today
Mission Hills World Cup Italy’s defending champions, Edoardo and Francesco Molinari, will face some stiff competition not only to retain the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup but also for the honour of being golf’s leading brothers, with Columbia and Portugal both represented by siblings in China. Camilo and Manuel Villegas will form the Colombian challenge for the prestigious title at Mission Hills Resort, Hainan Island, China, from November 24-27, while Ricardo and Hugo Santos will be hoping to capture a first World Cup for Portugal.
The three sets of brothers are among 28 teams of two players representing their countries, with five Major Champions – including current Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa and US Open Champion Rory McIlroy of Ireland – also in the field.
They will all be trying to succeed the Molinari brothers who became the first brother combination to win the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup in 2009 when they finished one stroke clear of Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy and Sweden, represented by Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson.
Camilo Villegas will be making his second appearance at the World Cup, having finished T14 with Manuel Merizalde in 2006. His brother Manuel will be playing the event for the first time, as the pair attempt to follow in the footsteps of the Molinaris. “I’m especially looking forward to playing in the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup this year, because not only is it an honour to be able to represent Colombia on the golf course, but it will be a thrill to be able to do it as a team with my brother, Manny,” said Camilo. “We both want to go to China in November to make our country, and our family, proud.”
Similarly Ricardo Santos, who is currently third on the European Challenge Tour Rankings, has made one World Cup appearance in 2008, finishing tied for 13th with partner Tiago Cruz.
The Molinari brothers’ victory in 2009 was part of a wonderful two years for the duo, with Edoardo capping a stunning season that saw him finish top of the Challenge Tour Rankings with three wins and record earnings. For both players the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup win proved to be the catalyst for even greater achievements in 2010. Between them they won three European Tour titles – Francesco at the WGC-HSBC Champions and Edoardo at the Barclays Scottish Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles - and in October they helped Europe to Ryder Cup glory over the United States.
2011 OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP FIELD:
Australia Brendan JonesRichard Green
Austria Florian PraegantRoland Steiner
BelgiumNicolas ColsaertsJérôme Theunis
Brazil Lucas LeeAdilson da Silva
China Liang Wen-chongZhang Xin-jun
Colombia Camilo VillegasManuel Villegas
Denmark Thomas BjörnAnders Hansen
England Ian PoulterJustin Rose
France Raphaël JacquelinGrégory Bourdy
Germany Alex CejkaMartin Kaymer
Guatemala Pablo AcũnaJosé Toledo
Ireland Graeme McDowellRory McIlroy
Italy Edoardo MolinariFrancesco Molinari
Japan Tetsuji HiratsukaYuta Ikeda
Korea Kim Hyung-SungPark Sung-Joon
Mexico José de Jesus RodriguezOscar Serna
Netherlands Robert-Jan DerksenJoost Luiten
New Zealand Michael Hendry Gareth Paddison
Portugal Hugo SantosRicardo Santos
Scotland Stephen GallacherMartin Laird
Singapore Lam Chih BingMardan Mamat
South Africa Louis OosthuizenCharl Schwartzel
SpainMiguel Angel JiménezAlvaro Quiros
Sweden Robert KarlssonAlex Noren
Thailand Thongchai JaideeKiradech Aphibarnrat
USAMatt KucharGary Woodland
Zimbabwe Brendon de JongeBruce McDonald
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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