GOLF: The Internationals start the Presidents Cup team competition today as favourites but face a daunting task against the United States on a brutal par-73 layout in George, South Africa.
The Gary Player-led Internationals feature eight players in the world top 20 compared to their opponents' seven but both sides know they will need a fair measure of luck over the next four days.
The fast-running Links course at the Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate, a 7,489-yard challenge modelled on a traditional links layout, is riddled with humps and bumps as well as thick rough.
"Your second shots into the greens are quite tricky," said world number three Ernie Els, who has his South African home at nearby Herold's Bay on the edge of the Indian Ocean.
"The greens are very undulating and you can't really get the ball to stop on the first bounce. It's a tough golf course."
World number one Tiger Woods, expected to take on Els in the last-day singles on Sunday, agreed. "The golf course is playing very quick and the fairways are very fast, very undulating," said the 27-year-old.
"You've got to really make sure you've got your lines right off the tees because some of the bunkers are pretty high in the fairways, and you can get blocked out pretty easily."
PRESIDENTS CUP PAIRINGS: (US Team names first, times G.M.T.): Day One: Foursomes - Match One, 1510: D Toms & P Mickleson v N Price (Zim) & M Weir (Can). Match Two, 1520: C DiMarco & J Kelly v R Goosen (Rsa)& V Singh (Fij). Match Three, 1530: D Love III & K Perry v P Lonard (Aus) & T Clark (Rsa). Match Four, 1540: J Leonard & J Furyk v E Els (Rsa) & A Scott (Aus). Match Five, 1550: J Haas & F Funk v R Allenby (Aus) & S Leaney (Aus). Match Six, 1500: T Woods & C Howell III v S Appleby (Aus) & KJ Choi (Kor).
