Japanese duo Toshimitsu Izawa and Shigeki Maruyama will take on top-seeded American pair Tiger Woods and David Duval on the opening day of the World Cup golf competition in Shizuoka Prefecture, organizers said Monday.
First-choice Japanese player Izawa, currently ranked 36th in the world, and U.S.-based Maruyama will be aiming to dethrone defending champions Woods and Duval at the Nov. 15-18 meet at the Taiheiyo Club's Gotemba Course.
Taiheiyo Masters champion Izawa, who produced his best result in a major by finishing tied for fourth at the U.S. Masters in April, said that deciding who would partner him at the upcoming World Cup had not been easy.
"(Shingo) Katayama had been at the top of my list for a while, but as I've played with Maruyama at high school, I figured it would be easier to go around with him. I think we're all equally competitive," Izawa said.
Maruyama, who won the Greater Milwaukee Open in July to become only the second Japanese to win on the U.S. PGA Tour, finished fourth with Hidemichi Tanaka in Argentina when Woods and Duval clinched the title last year.
In keeping with World Cup tradition, 11th-seeded host Japan plays the duo from the defending champion country in the first round.
No. 2 seed South Africa will feature Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, while Vijay Singh and Japan-based Dinesh Chand represent third-seeded Fiji. Sergio Garcia will partner Miguel Angel Jimenez for No. 4 seed Spain in the tournament featuring 24 countries.