Golf: NZ pair set to take on the world

David Smail and Danny Lee.

They may present themselves as golf's odd couple but David Smail is confident he and Danny Lee can hold their own in top company at the World Cup in China this week.

Smail is very much the settled, senior partner of New Zealand's two-man team competing against 27 other nations for a prize pool of US$5.5 million ($7.54 million) at Mission Hills in Shenzhen.

While Smail, 39, is about to complete his 12th season in Japan where he is closing in on a $10 million landmark in career earnings, World Cup rookie Lee, 20 years his junior, is nearing the end of a gruelling maiden season as a professional.

Smail has long forged his successful career on the solid pillars of consistency; Lee's initial foray into the touring pro ranks in the United States and Europe has been notable for regular hot and cold spells with his scoring as he endeavours to calm the impetuosity of youth.

It leaves Smail eager to see how he gels with the hottest prospect to emerge from New Zealand for years.

Smail thinks their clear differences may well be to their benefit in a four-round event played under a mixture of fourball and foursomes formats starting on Thursday.

"It will be interesting to see how we match up," Smail told NZPA ahead of his fifth World Cup appearance.

"I actually think we will make a good combination.

"He has the flair, an ability to hit great shots and drive it long.

"Hopefully, I can offer some consistency and then it will come down to a putting contest.

"And if we can roll our share of putts in then that will make a huge difference."

Smail and his partner Mark Brown last year lost touch with the leaders in the foursomes (alternate shot) at the same Chinese venue, posting two rounds of 75 as they tumbled to a share of 22nd place alongside lightweights Guatemala.

"We did struggle there. We just couldn't make any birdies and that made it tough work."

Smail is certainly keen to see New Zealand improve a largely modest record in the two-man teams event since the format was changed in 2000 from 72 holes of strokeplay to fourball and foursomes.

Frank Nobilo and Greg Turner were prominent that year in finishing sixth before Smail debuted the following year alongside Michael Campbell to finish in a three-way tie for second behind South Africa in Japan.

That matched New Zealand's previous best World Cup result achieved by Bob Charles and Walter Godfrey in 1967.

But since 2001, the the pickings have been very lean.

Campbell and Craig Perks came 17th equal in 2002, while Smail and Campbell were tied for 15th the next year, an identical placing to that achieved by Smail and Perks in 2004.

New Zealand did not even qualify for the tournament in 2005 and 2006 before Richard Lee and Stephen Scahill almost trailed the field home in 27th place in 2007.

WORLD CUP OF GOLF - TEAMS

Argentina: Rafa Echenqiue, Tano Goya.
Australia: Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby.
Brazil: Rafael Barcellos, Ronaldo Francisco.
Canada: Stuart Anderson, Graham Delaet.
Chile: Hugo Leon, Martin Ureta.
China: Liang Wen-chong, Zhiang Lian-wei.
Denmark: Soren Hansen, Soren Kjeldsen.
England: Ross Fisher, Ian Poulter.
France: Christian Cevaer, Thomas Levet.
Germany: Alex Cejka, Martin Kaymer.
India: Jyoti Randhawa, Jeev Milkha Singh.
Ireland: Graeme McDowell, Rory McIroy.
Italy: Edoardo Molinari, Francesco Molinari.
Japan: Ryuji Imada, Hiroyuki Fujita.
Korea: Charlie Wi, Y E Yang.
NEW ZEALAND: DAVID SMAIL, DANNY LEE.
Pakistan: Muhammad Munir, Muhammad Shabbir.
Philippines: Marciano Pucay, Angelo Que.
Scotland: David Drysdale, Alastair Forsyth.
Singapore: Lam Chih Bing, Mardan Mamat.
South Africa: Rory Sabbatini, Richard Sterne.
Spain: Sergio Garcia, Gonzalo Fernandex-Castano.
Sweden: Robert Karlsson, Henrik Stenson.
Taiwan: Lin Wen-tang, Lui Wei-chih.
Thailand: Thongchai Jaidee, Prayad Marksaeng.
United States: John Merrick, Nick Watney.
Venezuela: Alfredo Adrian, Jhonattan Vegas.
Wales: Stephen Dodd, Jamie Donaldson.

- NZPA