Scotland seek successful World Cup defence

Scotland, having waited 54 years to savour World Cup success, will return to the scene of the country’s moment of triumph 12 months ago when Colin Montgomerie and his new partner, Alastair Forsyth, attempt to defend the Omega Mission Hills World Cup from November 27-30.

For Montgomerie, victory arrived at his ninth attempt, just a year after he and Marc Warren had lost in an agonising play-off with Sweden and eventual champions Germany in Barbados. He and Warren then turned up at Mission Hills Golf Club in China last November aiming to go one better - and did precisely that by edging out the United States in a dramatic play-off over the José Maria Olazábal course at the stunning Mission Hills Golf Club.

Now, Montgomerie joins forces with 32 year old Forsyth, who played in the World Cup between 2002 and 2004 but partners the eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner for the first time in the second edition of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

Forsyth is hoping that the partnership with his Ryder Cup compatriot can bring a change in fortune. He represented Scotland three times between 2002 and 2004, finishing respectively 12th and ninth with former Open Champion Paul Lawrie then 18th with Scott Drummond.

“I am really looking forward to partnering Monty for the first time” said Forsyth. “He and Marc were unlucky in 2006 but they put up a fantastic effort against Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum in the play-off to win the title last year.

“I love the sense of pride and honour which you can only get from representing your country and I know that Colin and myself will be putting all our energy into trying to retain that magnificent trophy at Mission Hills. The pressure is on us as defending champions but I am confident we will give a good account of ourselves.”

Montgomerie, who was filling a gap on his illustrious CV, reflected on that victory in China by saying: “It was fantastic. It took a long time for Scotland to win the World Cup - since 1953 in fact - so winning in the play-off at Mission Hills was a wonderful feeling.

“Marc and I felt very proud to get our hands on the trophy at long last. Scotland was the only one of the four British nations never to have won the World Cup so winning last year was very, very special. I am looking forward immensely to defending the title with Alastair this time around.”

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ABOUT OMEGA
The prestige watch manufacturer OMEGA was founded in Switzerland in 1848 and since then has continually set the pace in the many fields of watchmaking, from sports timekeeping and design awards to watches for professional use in space or underwater. OMEGA is closely associated with a world of achievements including the conquest of space, timekeeping at 23 Olympic Games and numerous precision records as well as the launch in 1999 of the revolutionary Co-Axial calibre, one of the 20th century’s major innovations in mechanical watchmaking designed with the English master watchmaker George Daniels. Having just finished the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, OMEGA will continue to be the Official Timekeeper for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.
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ABOUT MISSION HILLS GOLF CLUB, CHINA
Founded in 1994, Mission Hills Golf Club, China, seeks to create ‘international goodwill through golf’. The Club occupies over 20 square kilometres of land from Shenzhen to Dongguan in Southern China, and boasts 12 signature courses designed by golf legends from five continents: Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Jumbo Ozaki, Zhang Lian-Wei, José Maria Olazábal, David Leadbetter, Greg Norman, Annika Sorenstam, David Duval, Nick Faldo and Pete Dye. In light of this feat, the Club was accredited by the Guinness World RecordsTM as the World’s Largest Golf Facility. Besides, Mission Hills is the host venue for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup of golf from 2007 to 2018.

As a complete golf destination, the Club houses a five-star hotel, four luxury clubhouses, world-class spa, three golf academies managed by international elite golf coaches, and palatial residences. It was voted “Golf Resort of the Year” in the Rest of the World Category in 2005 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). The Olazabal Course, the proud venue of the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup in 2008, has been ranked the number one resort course in Asia by Golfing Magazine in the 2008 issue.
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ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GOLF ASSOCIATION
Established by Canadian industrialist John Jay Hopkins in 1953, the International Golf Association has pursued the mission of "International Goodwill through Golf" for over fifty years.  As the owner of the World Cup name, IGA has sanctioned the world's most prestigious international team golf competition throughout six decades.  IGA is governed by its Board of Directors, which includes Chairman Jonathan S. Linen (Advisor to the Chairman, American Express), Deane R. Beman (Former PGA TOUR Commissioner), J. B. McCoy (Retired Chairman, Bank One Corporation) and Bill Souders (Former Executive Vice-President and Director, Xerox Corporation). 
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ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF PGA TOURS
The International Federation of PGA Tours, formed in 1996, was created to enhance the competitive structure of professional golf worldwide while preserving the traditions and strengths of the six member Tours. The member Tours are the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. The Canadian Tour and the Tour de las Americas are Associate Members of the Federation.  Three major initiatives were outlined: the formation of the International Federation of PGA Tours; joint sanctioning by the members of the International Federation of PGA Tours of significant competitions for the game's top players; and a structure for a generally accepted worldwide ranking system.