WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: Laura Davies and Trish Johnson hope their combined experience can steer them to glory when they line-up for England in the Women's World Cup of Golf at Sun City in South Africa today.
The English pair are one of 22 nations including Ireland, who are making their debut in the competition and are represented by Rebecca Coakley and Hazel Kavanagh, taking part in the three-day event.
Davies was the top player on last year's European Tour and she and Johnson will be among the favourites to win the title this weekend.
"Trish and I have played together a lot over the years and we finished second at previous World Cups in Taiwan and Ireland so I think we have a great chance this week," said Davies.
"I think there are eight or so teams that can win and it could take a really low score to do it. But I think we've got as good a chance as anyone.
"I'm certainly feeling good about my game. Last year, I came here after a nine-week break. But I played in the Lexus Cup in Singapore last month and only took three weeks off."
Sweden defend the title with a new team of Helen Alfredsson and Carin Koch.
World number one Annika Sorenstam, who won with Liselotte Neumann last year, opted not to come back.
Scotland, last year's runners-up, are represented by Mhairi McKay and Janice Moodie, who is making her first appearance since becoming a mum to Craig last September.
Wales are among the favourites, and Becky Morgan and Becky Brewerton will be hoping to improve on last year's third place.
The United States is also expected to perform well as LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member Juli Inkster will tee it up with partner Pat Hurst.
Experience should be key for the US team as Inkster and Hurst, who are both coming off victories during the 2006 LPGA Tour season, combine for 36 career wins and more than $16 million in career earnings.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Des Smyth opens his 2007 season at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, Hawaii where Loren Roberts defends the title in the $1.7 millon event.
Mark McNulty is also in the field that sees eight first-time participants - Andy Bean, Brad Bryant, David Edwards, Fred Funk, John Harris, Jerry Pate, Eduardo Romero and Scott Simpson - in a race for a first prize of $290,000.
TOUR NEWS: Tom Lehman, The 2006 United States Ryder Cup Team Captain, and Duffy Waldorf, one of his backroom assistants at The K Club, will bring a Ryder Cup flavour to the Telecom Italia Open, which returns to Castello di Tolcinasco G&CC, Milan, from May 3rd-6th, 2007.
The American duo have long been close friends, teaming up three times to win the Hyundai Team Matches, and will be competing in the Telecom Italian Open for the first time.
Lehman joined the game's elite with his BritiSh Open victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1996, a year he topped the US PGA Tour money list and also forced his way to the top of the official world golf ranking to become world number one.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)