Golf Events / Tareq Quiroz / 26 November 2008 /

Tareq Quiroz is excited by the Karlsson-Stenson combination Sweden are bringing to the World Cup, but there are plenty of longer-priced and worthy competitors out there...

Sometimes you just have to admit that you were beaten by the better man. Young Rory McIlroy had to endure that situation last week as he came up against an inspired Wen-tang Lin. Rarely will anyone have seen such a shot as he produced on the first play-off hole to deny McIlroy and to follow it up with the approach shot on the second play-off hole was unbelievable. Wen-tang Lin thoroughly deserved his victory and McIlroy can rest safe in the knowledge that his day will surely come. This week we turn our attention to a rare team event. The World Cup is a long established tournament that sees the top golfing nations battle it out to become 'world champions'.

The Course
The venue this week is now a well known spot in the golfing world. Mission Hills GC has signed a long-term deal to be the host for this event and it is a move welcomed by most of the golfing fraternity. Mission Hills may have only opened in 2003 but has already been used so often that it feels like it has been around a lot longer. As you would expect, it is an immaculate course that rewards good shots and punishes bad ones. The Olazabal-designed course is 7,251 yards long and one if its immediately obvious features is the plethora of bunkers. The par-five 15th has 24 bunkers alone and it may well turn out to be the pivotal hole as the tournament reaches its conclusion on Sunday.

The Favourite
I don't think there is any doubt as to which team has the strongest line-up for this exciting renewal of the World Cup. Sweden has managed to secure the services of Ryder Cuppers Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson. They are experienced strong competitors who will relish the opportunity to win something for their country. To be brutally honest we are hardly swamped with world-class players at this event so this pairing really does stand out. The big hitting Swedes will prove very hard to beat and are worthy favourites for this event. At current odds of [5.4] they are the stand out bet and are a must for the portfolio.

The Next Best Bets
Teamwork is of the utmost importance for this tournament and it is the pairing as a unit more than individuals that you need to be looking for. My main fancy would be for Germany. I can't help but feel they have got the perfect combination. The big hitting Kaymer with the more consistent Cejka will dovetail nicely. Youth and experience are also a nice combination to have and I feel certain you will see Germany challenging for the title come late in the final day. At current odds of [24.0] they are ones to be supported.

The Massive Outsider
The chances of a three figured price winner this week are slimmer than ever. This really isn't the type of event that we are likely to witness a huge shock. Stick to the well known teams for your punting this week. The only team that stands out to me as a potential for a decent price winner is Italy. The Molinari brothers will be a formidable team and if they can get on a roll then expect them to be a dangerous partnership. They certainly represent better value than some of the others teams ahead of them in the market and will take the honour of being my saver bet this week at odds of around [48.0].

Interesting Info
The USA are by far the most successful team in the competition with 23 wins. The event has been much more competitive in recent years and the last team to defend their title successfully were USA in 1995. Scotland will be attempting to repeat that feat this week and have a decent chance at odds of [34.0]. Ernie Els and Wayne Westner won this event by a mind boggling 18 shots for South Africa back in 1996. I am going to go out there and confidently predict that record won't be beaten this week!

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