World No 1 Luke Donald and World No 2 Rory McIlroy will go head to head from the very word go at this week's season-closing Dubai World Championship.
In what looks to be a dream climax for the European Tour, the stellar pair have been drawn together in the event's marque two-ball for the simple reason that Donald was first and McIlroy second on the 60 strong list of players that qualified to play Mizuno MP-59 Iron Set in this week's European Tour grand finale at the imposing Greg Norman-designed Earth Course at the Jumeirah Estates.
Based on the same principle, Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who was in third place coming into this week's event, has been paired in the second-to-last slot with 2010 PGA Champion Martin Kaymer, the World No 4.( Mizuno MP-59 Iron Set)
England's World No 3 Lee Westwood is behind them, paired with Denmark's Anders Hanson and fellow Dane Thomas Bjorn, a three-time Tour winner this year has been drawn with s two-time winner, Sergio Garcia, in the 4th last group.
At the top of the time sheet, last-gasp qualifiers Christian Nilsson of Sweden is teeing off on front of the field with Scott Jamieson at 11h42 (03h42 GMT) and Hennie Otto, who squeezed his Mizuno MP-59 Iron Set way into the contest by winning the South African Open two weeks ago, is set to go off 10 minutes later with Scotland's last major winner, Paul Lawrie.