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Aoki backs Japan
for success at Mission Hills
Isao Aoki, Japan's non-playing captain for this year's inaugural
Dynasty Cup team event against the Rest of Asia, believes his team
will be better suited to the venue in China.
The Ryder-Cup style tournament, to be played every two years, will
feature 12-man teams representing the Japan Golf Tour and the Asian
PGA Tour.
It will be hosted by Mission Hills Golf Club in southern China
from March 14 to 16.
"When I visited Mission Hills last October, I felt the conditions
were very similar to Japan, so this is a great advantage for us,"
said Aoki, who is the only Japanese player to have won on both the
U.S. and European Tours.
"The only difference will be the condition of the players.
The players from the Asian PGA Tour will be a good part of the way
through their season while it will be pre-season time for the Japanese
golfers."
The Japan team, announced by Aoki on Tuesday, comprises Nobuhito
Sato, Tommy Nakajima, Taichi Teshima, Hiroyuki Fujita, Katsumasa
Miyamoto, Kiyoshi Murota, Toru Suzuki, Tomohiro Kondo, Yasuharu
Imano, Keiichiro Fukabori, Hajime Meshiai and Katsunori Kuwabara.
Sato finished second in last year's order of merit, winning three
times on the Japan Tour.
The Asian Tour have named four Thailand players in their line-up
-- Thongchai Jaidee, Prayad Marksaeng, Thaworn Wiratchant, and Thammanoon
Srirot.
Also in the Rest of Asia team are Taiwan's Lin Keng-chi, Indians
Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal and Jeev Milkha Singh, South Koreans
Kang Wook-soon and Charlie Wi, and the Chinese duo Liang Wen-chong
and Zhang Lian-wei.
Zhang became the first Chinese player to win an event on the European
Tour when he edged out world number two Ernie Els by a shot in the
Singapore Masters on Sunday.
"When the Asian team was announced earlier, I immediately
noticed that many of the players regularly compete in Japan,"
said Aoki.
"They have a very strong side and I am really looking forward
to the tournament.
The Japan team comprises the Japan Golf Tour's leading 10 players,
based on an 18-month ranking system, plus two captain's picks --
Meshiai and Kuwabara.
The Rest of Asia team features the Asian Tour's top eight players,
plus four wildcard picks.
Mission Hills lies just outside Shenzhen, close to China's border
with Hong Kong.
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