Aussies take on golf world cup

26/09/2008

Brendan Jones will join countryman Richard Green to represent Australia at the 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup to be played from November 27-30 at the Mission Hills Golf Club in China.

Jones’ inclusion to partner Green will see the duo attempt to claim the World Cup for the Aussies for the fifth time in history, the last time being in 1989 when Queenslander Wayne Grady and New South Welshman Peter Fowler raised the trophy in Marbella Spain.

Green, the highest ranked Australian on the Official World Rankings to accept the World Cup invitation, chose Jones to partner him at the event where Green will make his second appearance and Jones his first.

Speaking from his home base in Canberra before heading back to compete in Japan, Jones said he was thrilled to be representing the green and gold at the senior level.

“It’s really exciting for me to be representing Australia and great to be asked by Greeny to be his partner,” said Jones. “I played for Australia in my amateur days but this is a whole new level and is a real highlight for me towards the end of the year.”

Both Green and Jones have runs on the board at the international level with a total of 14 victories between them.

Green has twice won in New Caledonia, has two European Tour titles and one on the Australasian Tour, whilst Jones has a Nationwide Tour title and an incredible eight wins on the Japan Golf Tour.

Currently ranked world number 52, 37 year old Richard Green turned professional in 1992 and has played regularly on the Australasian and European Tours. A former Victorian State Junior Champion, he won the 1994 and 1996 New Caledonian Open’s before claiming his first big international victory at the 1997 Dubai Classic where he was triumphant in a three way play-off over Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam and became the first first left hander to win on the European Tour since Bob Charles in 1974.

The Victorian made his first appearance at the World Cup in 1998 when it was the World Cup of Golf, held at the Gulf Harbour CC in New Zealand. He partnered Peter O’Malley and the pair finished in a tie for ninth behind winner’s Nick Faldo and David Carter of England.

His next win came on home soil at the 2004 MasterCard Masters where he won on the first-hole of a playoff from Greg Chalmers and David McKenzie and also claimed the 2004 Australasian Tour Order of Merit crown.

In 2007 he won his second European Tour event at the BA – CA Golf Open in Austria and followed that with a tie for 4th at the Open Championship at Carnoustie, his best finish at a Major after firing a course record equaling seven under 64 in the final round.

Thirty three year old Brendan Jones is currently ranked world number 74. He turned professional in 1999 after an outstanding amateur career that saw him crowned the 1999 Australian Amateur and 1998 Riversdale Cup winner, as well as representing Australia at the Eisenhower Trophy and Four Nations.

He claimed his first international title in 2002 at the Philip Morris KK Championship in Japan and has won a further seven titles on the Japan Golf Tour since, including three in 2007. His victories include: 2002 Philip Morris KK Championship, 2003 Sun Chlorella Classic, 2004 Tsuruya Open, 2004 Mizuno Open, 2006 Tsuruya Open, 2007 Tsuruya Open, 2007 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters and 2007 Golf Nippon Series JT Cup.

He also spent some time in 2004 on the US Nationwide Tour where he claimed the La Salle Bank Open.

The Omega Mission Hills World Cup has a format that sees the first and third rounds using the fourball better ball format while the second and final rounds will use the more difficult foursomes (alternate shot) format.

Jones is confident that the style of golf will work for he and Green.

“I think we are pretty consistent players and the format should really suit us and hopefully we’ll do well,” he said.

The pair will come up against defending champions Scotland, who will seek to win back-to-back titles with Colin Montgomerie looking to retain the trophy he and Marc Warren claimed in 2007 after defeating the USA in a play-off.

Prior to 1989, Australia had won the World Cup three times. The first was in 1954 when Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle held the cup aloft in just its second year of competition in Montreal, Canada. Five years later, the pair won again in Melbourne, Australia but it was another 11 years before Australia tasted success again, when David Graham and Bruce Devlin won in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

David Smail and Mark Brown will represent New Zealand in the event, with Smail making his fourth appearance and Brown his first.

TEAMS CURRENTLY QUALIFIED FOR THE 2008 OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP ARE:

Australia Richard Green, Brendan Jones

Chile Felipe Aquilar, Mark Tullo

Denmark Soren Hansen, Anders Hansen

England Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher

France Gregory Havret, Gregory Bourdy

Germany Martin Kaymer, Alex Cejka

India Jeev M. Singh, Jyoti Randhawa

Ireland Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley

Italy Francesco Molinari and Edoardo Molinari

Japan Ryuji Imada, Toru Taniguchi