Twelve years after Zhang Lianwei represented his country at the 1995 World Cup at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, the Chinese golfer is making a sentimental return to his homeland. He will compete this year in the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup in Shenzhen, from November 22 to 25.

China finished 27th in 1995. But Zhang, who has partnered with Liang Wenchong, said he will try his best to place higher this time around.

"It is truly an honor for me to partner with Liang Wenchong to represent China at the World Cup," Zhang said yesterday in Beijing. "The competition will be extremely tough with so many world class golfers participating but the World Cup is unique from other professional tournaments and I will strive my best to demonstrate the class of Chinese golf. Both Liang and I look forward to playing in front of our home galleries."

China's delegation represents a combination of young and old - Zhang, the first Chinese golfer to win the European Tour, and Liang, who won the European Tour earlier this season in Singapore.

This year's World Cup will attract players from 28 nations and regions. After two qualifying tournaments in Asia and Latin America last weekend, a high-quality field has now been confirmed for the World Cup.

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng led the way at the Fortis International Challenge with a victory in the Asian qualifier in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines also secured World Cup berths in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Aruba Qualifier in the Dutch Caribbean to secure its place in the field alongside Ireland, Colombia, Italy and Paraguay.

This year's World Cup will boast a host of global champions, with Germany defending its title from last December's tournament in Barbados. This year, Germany sends its emerging star Martin Kaymer and veteran Alex Cejka to the tournament.

Two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa will partner with countryman Trevor Immelman. Course designer Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain and Mike Weir of Canada - both previous Masters champions - will team up with Miguel Angel Jimnez and Wes Heffernan, respectively.

Goosen and Immelman have both tasted World Cup success in the past. Goosen was part of South Africa's victorious team in Japan in 2001, while Immelman won at Kiawah Island four years ago.

Goosen is the second player after Zhang Lianwei to make a return to Mission Hills, where he led South Africa to an eighth-place finish in 1995.

The 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup will launch a new era in the history of the event, which was first played in 1953 as the Canada Cup. Omega and Mission Hills have agreed to host the event until at least 2018. Mission Hills is the club that introduced the game of golf to China when it first hosted the World Cup in 1995.

John Jay Hopkins, the noted Canadian industrialist, believed that golf could promote goodwill between nations when he envisioned the Canada Cup, held in Montreal in 1953. The event was re-titled the World Cup in 1967.

(China Daily October 18, 2007)