Defending champion Graeme McDowell and World No.5 Henrik Stenson lead a stellar field heading to London Golf Club this week for the Volvo World Match Play Championship.

The pair are among five members of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team set to tee off at the Kent course on Wednesday.

This is the biggest event the club has hosted since crowds totalling 90,000 came to watch the European Open in 2009 and it’s only the third time the World Match Play has been contested in England since 1993.

London Golf Club chief executive Austen Gravestock said: "We are one of two clubs in England to be hosting a major championship this year, so it’s a great accolade for us.

"It keeps us out there as one of the UK’s top golfing destinations.

"To have five victorious Ryder Cup players from the European team playing here is going to be great.

"People have seen what happened at Gleneagles (the Ryder Cup) and not everyone was able to get a ticket, or make it up there, so hopefully people in the South East who couldn’t be there will join us."

Ten of the world’s top 50 players are included in the 16-man field, with Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson and Stephen Gallacher completing the European Ryder Cup contingent.
Patrick Reed, who starred for the United States at Gleneagles, will also be out on the International Course, as will Francesco Molinari and Paul Casey.

The players will be split into four groups of four, with the top two in each group progressing to the knockout stages at the weekend.

Mr Gravestock said: "Matchplay is not only the most exciting format of golf, it’s also the easiest to follow. You’ve got two people out there, playing against each other, one’s winning and one’s losing.

"For people in and around Kent with a passing interest in golf, this is going to be great to watch and the course lends itself to spectators with natural amphitheatres.

"It’s a fantastic privilege to be hosting."

The first group matches start at 11.45am on Wednesday.

ARNOLD PALMER GROUP: Henrik Stenson, Thongchai Jaidee, Francesco Molinari, George Coetzee.

MARK McCORMACK GROUP: Jamie Donaldson, Patrick Reed, Jonas Blixt, Paul Casey.

ASSAR GABRIELSSON GROUP: Victor Dubuisson, Stephen Gallacher, Shane Lowry, Pablo Larrazabal.

GUSTAF LARSSON GROUP: Graeme McDowell, Joost Luiten, Mikko Ilonen, Alexander Levy.