Seve Ballesteros, determined to make a successful return to golf this season, begins 2007 this week as the non-playing captain of the Europe team hoping to defend the Royal Trophy against Asia in Bangkok.
Ballesteros led his side to a 9-7 victory in the inaugural match last year and has five of the successful Ryder Cup team under him this time.
"Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and Paul McGinley are all hardened Ryder Cup campaigners," he said.
"And three of the four Swedish players in my team - Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson and Niclas Fasth - have also played in winning European teams.
"The fourth Swedish golfer, Johan Edfors, won three times on the European Tour last season, while our other 'rookie' Anthony Wall is an exciting prospect, so I feel we have a very good blend of youth and experience."
The three-day match starts on Friday and Ballesteros is expecting some stiff competition from an Asian line-up including Thai Thongchai Jaidee and Volvo Masters champion Jeev Mikha Singh from India.
"Their team looks even stronger than last year. Happily, I feel I also have a powerful team under my command."
McGinley is one of only two survivors from the 2006 European team and said: "This is anything but a gentle work-out. There is a great deal of intensity in the matches and a lot of pride at stake - you would expect that from any team captained by Seve.
"I'm glad we have put together such a strong team because we will have to be at our best to beat Asia again this time."
n Much of the interest at this week's Sony Open in Honolulu will focus on teenage prodigy Michelle Wie, who will be playing alongside the men for the 13th time in a professional event.
Although yet to win a title of any kind since clinching the US women's amateur public links championship in 2003 aged 13, the Hawaiian is certain to attract the biggest crowds for the first two rounds. Now 17, Wie is eager to become the first woman to make the halfway cut in a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias at the 1945 Tucson Open. Wie became the first woman to survive the cut on a major men's tour in more than 60 years in South Korea last year. In her other 11 men's tournaments, including three previous appearances at Waialae, she has failed to qualify for the weekend.
