World Cup of Golf: Rosales, Delasin paired vs Chinese in first round

The Philippines’ Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin drew Chinese Na Zhang and Chun Wang as their first round opponents as the Women’s World Cup gets under way Friday at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa.

Rosales and Delasin hope to come out strong in the best-ball competition of the event, which drew 18 countries, including defending champion Paraguay and former titlists Japan and Germany.

Rosales and Delasin teamed up in the inaugural staging of the event in 2005, finishing joint second with Korea, just two strokes off champion Japan. But Rosales begged off from playing the following year, forcing Delasin to tap fellow Fil-Am and former national team player Ria Quiazon with the duo ending up last in the 19-team field in 2006.

The Philippines did not field a team last year.

Rosales and Delasin will tee off in the second flight at 9:12 a.m. after the 9 a.m. flight of India and Spain.

Format of the three-day tournament will be foursomes or alternate shot in the second day before action shifts back to better ball in the final day.

Meanwhile, world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa of Mexico and all-time great Annika Sorenstam have opted to skip the event.

The two superstars are not keen on traveling in January, which they like to set aside as a rest period for them ahead of their busy schedules which begin in mid-February.

It is planned to move the tournament to a new date in 2009, in the latter part of the year, to try and attract the likes of Ochoa and Sorenstam. The event is also likely to move out of South Africa, where it has been held every year since its inception in 2005, in 2010.

Ochoa and Sorenstam aside, this year’s 20-nation line-up still includes some very strong teams.

Sorenstam and Lisolette Neumann won the Cup for Sweden two years, and even without these two players the Scandinavians are again considered favorites with Sophie Gustafson and Maria Hjorth on the team.

Gustafson topped the Order of Merit on the 2007 Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit, with Hjorth fifth so they could be the side to beat.

The US is represented by 47-year-old Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, owner of seven major titles, and 38-year-old Pat Hurst.