G-Mac and McIlroy having a ball

THE US Open winning duo of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell are the closest of friends but there is one key difference in that relationship ahead of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup at Haikou in China.

For the two days of practice ahead of the 56th staging of the event on Hainan Island, the duo have been deciding on what ball to use in the competition.

McDowell has been observed hitting Srixon off the tee but then throwing down a Titleist for his practice shots into the greens. It is the same scenario with McIlroy, who has been driving Titleist off Blackstone course tees and then putting down a Srixon.

“It’s just like the Ryder Cup as the biggest issue for Rory and myself this week will be ball,” said McDowell.

“Of course, Rory is longer than me off the tee and it means the greens, especially on the par fours, are more reachable than if I am teeing off. So after two days of chopping and changing between Srixon and Titleist, we’ve decided on Rory’s Titleist for the Foursomes and I can go back to using Srixon on Friday and Sunday for the Fourballs. Like the Ryder Cup, it’s important we play to our strengths. One of Rory’s big strengths is his driving distance off the tee.”

The Northern Ireland-born duo, who are competing under the Irish tricolour in the tournament, got their last look at the course in Wednesday’s Pro-Am but finished well down the field in 24th place behind the winning New Zealand side.

The Mission Hills host Blackstone course is located on the northern tip of Hainan Island.

The fairways are generous enough that should make for low scoring but miss the fairway and there’s no chance of playing from the rocks. McDowell hinted his only concern with the course is the greens.

“The greens are big in places but there’s really not a lot of usable putting surface so pin positions could be limited,” he said. “Other than that, it should be fine.”

Meanwhile McIlroy will travel to Tokyo on Monday to join local sensation, Rhyo Ishikawa in an exhibition match in the Japanese capital. Ishikawa was a member of last week’s losing Presidents Cup International side and the appearance of McIlroy alongside the Japanese golfing star is sure to attract thousands. McIlroy then heads to Hong Kong for the UBS Hong Kong Open an event he finished runner-up in 2008 and 2009.