The players taking part in the Women's World Cup from Friday agree on one thing - the rough is absolutely brutal.
"You're definitely going to have to stay on the straight and narrow if you want to contend this week," said South Africa's Laurette Maritz.
"It may sound rather obvious, but the trick is to hit fairways and greens and hope for a bit of magic with the putter on the greens," added the 44 year old, who is partnering 18-year-old Ashleigh Simon for the fourth consecutive year in the 20-nation tournament.
After plentiful summer rains, the thick, knotty kikuyu grass just off the fairways on the Gary Player Country Club course will be seriously problematic for any players straying off line.
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"You can be a metre off the fairway and you can lose your ball - I know because it happened to me in a practice round," said Germany's Bettina Hauert, who won twice on the Ladies European Tour last year and finished second to Sweden's Sophie Gustafson on the 2007 Order of Merit.
"I hope there's a lot of ball-spotters out there over the next three days," she added with a chuckle.
The big-hitting Swedes are being touted as favourites following the great season by Gustafson last year, while the team's other player, Maria Hjorth, was fifth on the moneylist, but played more events in America than in Europe, winning the LPGA's Navistar Classic.
"It's great to be considered favourites, but there are a lot of other good teams and we'll have to be at our best to have a chance," said Hjorth.
The United States, with seven-time Major champion Juli Inkster partnering Pat Hurst, are also looking strong.
"Hopefully we'll contend, but being so early in the season, we're not too sure what to expect. We've managed to loosen the bones up, though, and get in some good range time, so hopefully we'll be okay," said Inkster.
Hurst pointed out that tomorrow's second session of foursomes (alternate shots) could be crucial.
"There's no bail-out in foursomes and if you play poorly, you can shoot yourselves right out of the tournament," she stressed.
Friday's opening round, as well as the final round on Sunday, will consist of betterball (each team member playing their own golf ball, and the best score on each hole counting).
It will come as no surprise if Korea, with pocket dynamos Ji-Yai Shin and Eun-Hee Ji in their line-up, are seen holding the trophy aloft on Sunday afternoon.
These two young proettes are proof that you don't have to be big and tall to hit the ball far. They generate amazing power - not to mention skill - from their small frames, and Shin won a record nine times on the Korean Tour last year.
Defending champions Paraguay have all-smiles Julieta Granada and Celeste Troche back to defend their title, and while they also agree that staying "on the middle of the road" is essential, Troche has her own theory as to what a winning formula will be this week.
"The key is to simply go out there and make a lot of birdies," she says, "Having won last year gives us a lot of confidence because we've been there before. But, seriously, just about any of the teams can win.
"We weren't favourites last year, yet we pulled through and took the title, so it can happen again."
Granada has her mother, Rosa, on the bag again, as was the case last year, and when Rosa was asked how much her daughter pays her as the caddie, her reply was: "Well, I get an espresso coffee if she plays well, and a double espresso if she wins!"
Tee-off times in Friday's first round of betterball start at 9am with Sweden in the company of Japan at 9.36. Korea and the US are second-last off at 10.36, and South Africa and Paraguay at the back of the field at 10.48am.
- This article was originally published on page 23 of The Star on January 18, 2008
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