GOTEMBA (Japan), Nov 14: Spain’s Sergio Garcia believes he and Miguel Angel Jimenez can find the right blend to beat the strongly fancied U.S. team in the World Cup of golf, which tees off on Thursday.

Americans Tiger Woods and David Duval, who won the title in Argentina last year, are “just one of five or six” in the 24-team field capable of lifting the John J. Hopkins Cup, Garcia told reporters on Wednesday.

“I think we can defeat them. If we are playing well and complement each other then, of course, we should have a chance of winning,” said the 21-year-old, who has won twice on the American PGA tour this year.

Garcia, the world number six, picked out South African pair Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, Fijians Vijay Singh and Dinesh Chand and home favourites Toshimitsu Izawa and Shigeki Maruyama as serious contenders.

British Open champion Duval agreed that the Japanese would be “tough” but targeted Els and Goosen — former and reigning U.S. Open champions — as the major threat at the Taiheiyo Club in Shizuoka.

“Els and Goosen pair up for a very good team, but the Irish team is very strong too,” said Duval, the world number three who won the Dunlop Open in Miyazaki at the weekend.

The Irish combination of Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley will be looking to reclaim the title they won in 1997 at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.

Woods, meanwhile, drew a crowd of 5,000 during Wednesday’s practice round before warning that he is rediscovering his form just in time for America’s title defence.

“My back has been a touch sore, but (I’ve got the) full range of motion and I’m starting to hit some good shots. It’s going to be a pretty good test this week and we are really looking forward to it,” the 25-year-old world number one said.

Woods, who became the first player to hold all four majors at once with his triumph at this year’s U.S. Masters, insisted that he and Duval were fully focused on the job in hand.

“We are both going to have to play well at the same time,” he said. “You can’t just ham-and-egg it this week.”

Each of the 24 teams will play two days of fourballs and two days of foursomes in the $3 million event, which offers a top prize of $1 million.—Reuters