England duo Wood and Sullivan top GolfSixes field
The 32-man field has been set for the European Tour’s inaugural GolfSixes tournament in May – and Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan will once again team up to represent England.
The pair, who were partners at last year’s World Cup of Golf, will start the two-day event at Centurion Club as the No. 1 seeds.
Richie Ramsay and Marc Warren will represent Scotland as the 11th seeds, while Wales’ Jamie Donaldson and Bradley Dredge are ranked 14th in the 16-team shootout.
Thorbjorn Olesen, who won the World Cup of Golf alongside Soren Kjeldsen, will be partnered by Lucas Bjerregaard for sixth-ranked Denmark.
Each GolfSixes match will be played in a greensomes match play format over six holes at the Hertfordshire club. On the first day, Saturday May 6, the teams will be split into four groups of four where three points will be awarded for a win and one for a tie.
Two teams will progress from each group, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and final all played on the second day, Sunday May 7.
Each of the six holes will have amphitheatre-style stands around tees and greens, while players will be welcomed with music and pyrotechnics in a bid to bring fans closer to the players.
Wood said: “Sully and I are good mates and I think we make a good team. We’ve both had amazing experiences in the past representing Europe at the Ryder Cup, and England at the World Cup of Golf.
“With the countries who are taking part, there could be some pretty intriguing rivalries thrown up and I’m sure we’ll see plenty of passion from the players and the fans.
“GolfSixes is a fresh, new format and I think that’s very welcome in golf right now. It should be an entertaining weekend, and I’m interested to see how it all works with the innovations inside and outside the ropes.”
GolfSixes field (in seeding order)
- England: Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan
- Italy: Matteo Manassero and Renato Paratore
- Thailand: Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat
- India: SSP Chawrasia and S Chikkarangappa
- Australia: Sam Brazel and Scott Hend
- Denmark: Thorbjorn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard
- France: Alexander Levy and Gregory Bourdy
- Netherlands: Joost Luiten and Reinier Saxton
- Sweden: Kristoffer Broberg and Joakim Lagergren
- Spain: Pablo Larrazabal and Alejandro Canizares
- Scotland: Richie Ramsay and Marc Warren
- South Africa: Darren Fichardt and Brandon Stone
- US: Paul Peterson and David Lipsky
- Wales: Jamie Donaldson and Bradley Dredge
- Belgium: Nicolas Colsaerts and Thomas Detry
- Portugal: Ricardo Gouveia and Jose-Filipe Lima
Tickets are available from the GolfSixes website, priced at £6 for adults, £3 for children aged between 10 and 17, and free entry for children under 10.
Social Spotlight: Are you Cody Gribble or Smylie Kaufman?
ICYMI: Poulter reveals Michael Jordan’s role in Medinah miracle
How to come firing out of the blocks like Rory McIlroy
Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.