BEST OF CHINAS; GOLF: SCOTS AT WORLD CUP.

Byline: ALASTAIR FORSYTH; David McCarthy 

TWELVE years ago Davie Drysdale and I travelled around the continent together, slumming at cheap hotels as we tried to chase our dreams of making it on the European Tour.

We'll be reliving those memories this week as we hook up to represent Scotland at theWorld Cup in Mission Hills, China.

We've come a long way and I'm not just talking in terms of distance, even if it did take me almost 24 hours to get here via Dubai and Hong Kong.

Representing Scotland at any level is massive but to do so at aWorld Cup is very special and I'm lucky enough to be doing it for the fifth time this week.

Davie and I are determined to do the country proud and if we can emulate Colin Montgomerie and MarcWarren's triumph of two years ago it would be right up there with anything we've achieved.

I teamed up with Monty last year and can honestly say he was a terrific partner. I wasn't sure beforehand how it would go but the big man was different class.

There are no doubts this time. I just know Davie and I will be fine because we've been mates for so long. The fact we had to qualify for the event recently by going to Estonia will actually work in our favour because we had a week of working together under pressure and came through to make China.

What was particularly pleasing was the fact we shot a 66 on the final day in the foursomes format, which is notoriously difficult as you play alternate shots and find it hard to get into a rhythm. But we did it when under the cosh and that has to be good for our confidence. The tournament is still a 72-hole strokeplay affair but at times a problem with the foursomes can be which ball to use. To the layman it may not matter but sometimes small things can make a difference. I use a Callaway ball and Davie a Titleist but for the foursomes we'll go with his ball like we did in Estonia.

That's not a big deal for us but one thing in our favour is we are fairly similar players.

That means we drive the ball roughly the same distance and when it comes to playing irons into greens we shouldn't have the kind of problems some teams might experience if one guy drives the ball 30 yards further than his partner.

Vintage

Those are all technicalities, I suppose, and the most important thing is we both play well. Davie has been better than me this season but I'm hoping the work I've put in on the range over the last couple of weeks will enable me to play my part.

The fact Davie was the only Scot in Dubai last week - and therefore the only one of us in the top 60 of the Order of Merit - tells you it hasn't been a vintage year for home-grown talent and that's why we had to go through the qualification process.

But now we are here we can plan to do well in the competition. The course is terrific and the fact theWorld Cup will be played here every year for the next decade will help it get better and better.

Mission Hills has become a fixture in the calendar and the organisers are looking after us all very well, even if those who qualified had to pay their own way here and the exempt players didn't.

That doesn't seem very fair, to be honest, and it has cost Davie and I plenty to be out here representing our country.That said, the prize money is good and will outweigh the costs of getting here.

But the 56 players from the 28 teams are all here to make up the event and it doesn't seem right the players from the nine nations who had to qualify - and that also cost us plenty because there was no prize money in Estonia - are treated differently from the guys who didn't have to qualify.

However, that's a side issue.We are here to fly the flag for Scotland and aim to do it with pride. I've enjoyed each of my ventures into the World Cup, playing twice with Paul Lawrie and on one occasion with Scott Drummond and then Monty.

It's the first time Davie and I have teamed up but we know each other so well this isn't really a new partnership. And, believe me, the pressure of trying to win a Tour card when you are a rookie pro with hardly a penny in your pocket is far greater than anything we have to put up with now we are established players. It won't be easy with the likes of Sergio Garcia representing Spain and Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter teaming up for England. Then you have Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowall for Ireland. All great players in their own right but whoever holds up the World Cup on Sunday will have to dovetail as a team, particularly in those foursomes.

If Davie and I do that, who knows? Hell, I might even get Warren to stop boring me with his "I've won theWorld Cup" chat.

As told to David McCarthy

CAPTION(S):

FLAG FLYER: Forsyth bids to do the nation proud in China