GOLF/Tour News:No, it doesn't have the intensity of a Ryder Cup; but, for Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, the lure of the World Cup, where the pair have represented Ireland each and every year since 1997, when they were glorious winners at Kiawah Island, is compelling.
So it is that the two Dubliners will once again represent their country in the competition, which starts at Sandy Lane in Barbados on Thursday. The pair have been installed as top seeds, although this doesn't really mean anything, due to Harrington's position as the lowest ranked player in the world rankings competing in the Caribbean.
However, the contrast between the two players this season could not be more stark, Harrington winning the European Tour Order of Merit and rising to eighth in the current world rankings compared to McGinley slipping back 50 places to 71st.
Indeed, as a pair, the English duo of Luke Donald and David Howell, ranked ninth and 16th respectively in the world, are the real top-rated team, based on their combined rankings, while Sweden's Henrik Stenson (12th) and Carl Petterson (37th) also have a better combined ranking.
Still, the truth of the matter is that Ireland go to Barbados (the event is taking place on the Country Club resort course rather than the famed Green Monkey) as very strong contenders in a tournament limited to just 24 countries, 18 who earned their places off the world rankings and a further six who came through qualifying.
In Harrington's current vein of hot form, Ireland deserve to be strongly fancied and, in fact, they have been positioned as second favourites at 11 to 2 behind England (who are 4 to 1) by Paddy Power bookmakers.
The United States are represented by JJ Henry and Stewart Cink, with Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love and Chris DiMarco all turning down the chance to play.
McGinley hasn't played anywhere since missing the cut in the Hong Kong Open last month, while Harrington has, since capturing the European money title, continued his good form with a win in Japan (where he held off Tiger Woods to win the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in a play-off) and has moved up to eighth in the world, having started the season in 17th.
For Ireland to contend, though, the suspicion is McGinley must deliver, just as he did in the Ryder Cup which proved to be the high point of his season. "There is no doubt that 2006 has not been one of my better years yet, when I look back at my career, it will always stand out for the success of the Ryder Cup at the K Club in September," McGinley conceded.
He added: "I am in the process of analysing my year, changing things around a little bit, looking at my mistakes and gearing up for next season. But first and foremost I feel I need a good rest over the Christmas break before I return to play in the Royal Trophy in Bangkok (on January 11th-14th). The World Cup is a tournament I have played in on many occasions in the past and I am looking forward to renewing my partnership with Padraig, who has been in great form these last couple of months."
While the USA had to go well down the world rankings before Cink accepted the invite to play in the World Cup, a similar situation occurred with South Africa where Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman all passed up on the chance to play. South Africa is represented by Rory Sabbatini and Richard Sterne.
Els is otherwise engaged this week, attempting to win the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek for a fourth time. His previous success in the tournament, co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and the European Tour, came in 1995, 1999 and last season.
Only three players - Bernhard Langer (German Open and German Masters), Nick Faldo (PGA Championship) and Seve Ballesteros (French Open) - have managed to win a tournament on four occasions in their career, so Els will be seeking to join an elite band. David Higgins is the only Irish player in the field at Leopard Creek.
The World Cup was elevated to become a part of the WGC series in 2000, in which time there have been five different champions: the US won in 2000 (David Duval/Tiger Woods), followed by South Africa (Ernie Els/Retief Goosen), Japan (Toshi Izawa/Shigeki Maruyama), South Africa (Trevor Immelman/Rory Sabbatini), England (Paul Casey/Luke Donald) and Wales (Stephen Dodd/Bradley Dredge) a year ago.
