Ryder Cup stars to head for Hong Kong

Europe's victorious 2012 Ryder Cup captain, Jose Mara Olazabal, has confirmed he will play in next month's UBS Hong Kong Open, where he will be joined by defending champion Rory McIlroy and Paul Lawrie, both members of his team, and Miguel Angel Jimenez, who was a vice-captain at Medinah Country Club.

The triumphant quartet has turned its attention to The Race to Dubai after winning what was arguably the greatest Ryder Cup in history, producing a miraculous comeback on the final day to snatch victory from the Americans' hands.

Lawrie, who defeated American Brandt Snedeker in the Sunday singles, said, "I always look forward to the Hong Kong Open, it's a great tournament in a fantastic city, so it's a fun week on and off the course. My record in the event isn't quite as good as I would like, but the way I've been playing this year I feel very confident of giving a good account of myself."

With Matt Kuchar, who won two points for the US team, also in attendance, the UBS Hong Kong Open will boast a star-studded field for the penultimate event of the 2012 season, where $2 million in prize money is on offer.

Kuchar has won four times on the US PGA Tour, including at The Players Championship this year, and the World No 13 will go in search of his maiden European Tour title when he makes his debut at Fanling for the Nov 15-18 tournament.

"I'm very excited about making my debut at the Hong Kong Open," he said. "I've heard a lot of good things about the tournament and the city, so I look forward to finding out for myself what all the buzz is about. The strength of the field is impressive and Rory's record in the tournament is even more impressive, so it's going to be tough to win my first European Tour title, but I'm certainly going to give it my best shot."

China Daily