The concluding event of this year's European Tour season will have an added twist as the two main contenders for the Order of Merit title have been paired together for the opening round of the Volvo Masters.
Retief Goosen, Europe's reigning number one and current Order of Merit leader, will tee it up alongside Padraig Harrington at Valderrama at 12.35 p.m. (Irish time) tomorrow. The Dubliner and defending champion trails Goosen by just €23,119.
The monetary difference between the players is relatively small given that the top prize is €522,778 in the €3.14million event. The difference in cheques for first and second place is just under €200,000, illustrating the high margins between the top places.
If Harrington finishes in the top five then Goosen must equal or finish higher than his challenger. However, if the Dubliner finishes outside of the top five the South African doesn't necessarily have to match Harrington because the differential in prize money to places from there drops below the €23,119.
Should that happen Harrington is likely finish runner-up in the standings, as he did 12 months ago.
Graeme McDowell will be the first Irishman to tee-off at 8.58 a.m. (Irish time) in the selective 66-man field comprising, the leading players on the money list plus several who qualify from the all-time career money list and past winners.
Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley will start at 11.27 a.m. and Darren Clarke, returning after a month's break, is due to start at 12.27 p.m., two groups ahead of Harrington and Goosen in the third last pairing.