Hoey and Maybin in unfamiliar territory

After 10 years of having Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley flying their flag, Irish hopes in golf’s World Cup rest this week with two players ranked 583rd and 622nd in the world.

Michael Hoey and Gareth Maybin have flown to Aruba in the Caribbean for the 72-hole qualifying tournament starting tomorrow after Open champion Harrington’s decision not to play in the event proper in China in November dropped Ireland off the list of exempt nations.

With McGinley, Graeme McDowell and others turning down the qualifier former British amateur champion Hoey, who lost his European Tour card last season, and Maybin, who lies 15th on the Hooters mini-tour in America, were offered the chance.

They are among 19 countries competing for five spots and obvious favourites are Italy, represented by European Tour winner Francesco Molinari and his brother Edoardo, who won the US amateur title two years ago.

Meanwhile, Dutch pair Robert Jan Derksen and Maarten Lafeber, both of whom are tour winners, are among the 20 nations competing for five spots in the other qualifier in Malaysia.

South American qualifying teams: Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rica, Serbia, Venezuela

Asian qualifying teams: Chinese Taipei, Ghana, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Swaziland, Thailand, Uganda