Laura Davies is among three Irish Open champions in action at Adare Manor Resort this weekend in the inaugural u £500,000 Bord Failte-sponsored Ladies World Cup of Golf.
The 54-hole team event, which starts at 9.30 this morning, carries prize money of u £120,000 for the winning duo and u £25,000 for the leading individual.
The partnership of Davies and Trish Johnson make England favourites, but strong challenges may be anticipated from Sweden, represented by Sophie Gustafson and Carin Koch; Scotland, who have Kathryn Marshall and Cartiona Matthew, and from the American pair, Kellee Booth and Heather Bowie.
Gustafson regained the Irish Open title at Faithlegg last June, which she won at Ballyliffin in 1998.
Meanwhile, the Irish pair, Aideen Rogers and Lynn McCool, will be in action with the Scots at 11.12 this morning. In the French side, Marine Monnet is partnered by Sandrine Mendiburu, winner of the Irish Open at Letterkenny last year.
It seems decidedly curious that, from a situation where there was no women's world cup, we are now set to have two this year, the other scheduled for Kuala Lumpur in November.
