Langer makes bright start

Bernhard Langer marked his first appearance in the World Cup for a decade by firing Germany into the early lead in the first round in Barbados.

Langer, who partnered Torsten Gideon to victory in 1990 and won the now-defunct individual title in 1993, will be eligible for the Seniors Tour next year but showed he could still compete with the younger generation.

The 49-year-old former Ryder Cup captain birdied the first, third and fifth holes at Sandy Lane, and also parred the second and fourth to make life easy for partner Marcel Siem in the opening fourballs.

At three under par Germany were one shot ahead of Australian duo John Senden and Mark Hensby, who had contributed one birdie each to their total, while Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Miguel Angel Jimenez were a shot further behind on one under.

Defending champions Wales, represented by Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd, were due out in the last group, while pre-tournament favourites England were also among the later starters.

Dredge and Dodd were two shots clear of the field after 54 holes in Portugal last year when the final round was cancelled due to torrential rain and high winds.

Each of the 24 teams competing this week is guaranteed €31,000, with €1m going to the winning pair.

Luke Donald and David Howell are the favourites to go one better than last year and lift the trophy for England for the second time in three years, while strong opposition is likely to come from Ryder Cup team-mates Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, winners for Ireland in 1997, and Swedish pair Henrik Stenson and Carl Pettersson.

The Argentinian pair of Angel Cabrera and Andres Romero could also be suited to a course playing longer than usual due to windy and wet conditions.