Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan had no qualms about cancelling holiday plans to represent England at the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf.
Wood and Sullivan, who both made their Ryder Cup debuts at Hazeltine National in September, will team together again at Kingston Heath Golf Club this week.
The little and large duo were late additions to the line-up after the withdrawal of Danny Willett due to a back injury, with replacement Wood choosing Sullivan as his partner for the tournament.
And despite other plans having to be shelved, the lure of the World Cup was too good to resist for both players.
If there is the opportunity to come down here and play, I'm always going to take it.
Chris Wood
Sullivan said: “I was having six weeks off, just to chill out a little longer. But I'm not sure how many World Cups I'm going to be invited to play, so when you get the opportunity to come and play, the only answer I was going to give was yes.”
Wood was in firm agreement, adding: “I had a holiday planned with my wife, so she went home yesterday instead of being on holiday with me in Dubai. I had to deal with that gently!
“But, like Sully said, the chance to play in a World Cup and the golf courses down here are so good. These sort of sandbelt courses I could play for the rest of my life, so the opportunity to come down here and play, I'm always going to take it.”
This year’s World Cup, the 58th edition, will consist of foursomes on days one and three, with the other two rounds being fourballs.
Wood, eight inches taller than his partner, believes the pair will make a good team.
“We've got a height difference to overcome for the week, but it will be great,” he said. “(We) both play the same ball so it will be pretty easy for us.
“We've both had pretty good years, both played Ryder Cup. So this is a great end to the season for both of us.”
Sweden are among the favourites for the competition, led by in-form Alex Noren.
The 34 year old has won four European Tour titles in 2016, most recently by six shots in the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player two weeks ago, a result which helped him finish third in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
His team-mate in Melbourne, David Lingmerth, is excited to be partnering Noren.
He said: “Everybody's been telling me just to put the ball in play this week and then Alex will take care of the rest!
“No, it's going to be a lot of fun. Alex is a great guy.
We're just getting to know each other better and playing a team tournament, which is something that we don't do a lot, (but) I really enjoy it.
David Lingmerth
For his part, Noren is excited to get the $US 8million event underway and try to win a third World Cup for Sweden.
He said: “It’s nice to be here. I love the course already. It's a great change playing with David. I'm looking forward to it a lot.
“Golf is a tough game, and like everybody else, you have to appreciate the ups.
“I'm still feeling a little bit nervous before this week, as I am every week. But it's nice to come up with some good results and build your confidence.”
