MICHAEL Watson will unleash the opening salvo in the 27th PGA Cup in California where Great Britain & Ireland are seeking an historic first win on US soil.

The 45-year-old Wessex Golf Centre head professional, the senior player in Jon Bevan’s team, tees off first at a sun-scorched CordeValle Golf Club alongside Moor Hall’s Cameron Clark in the first of the Friday morning fourballs.

They will face the United States duo of Michael Block and Ben Polland – at 25 the youngster ever US PGA Cup player.

GB & I skipper Bevan sends out the powerful combination of Scotland’s Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) and Somerset’s David Dixon (Enmore Park) second against two-time PGA Cup player Bob Sowards and rookie Jamie Broce.

Fox was part of the GB & I team that staged an epic fight back to salvage a draw at Slaley Hall, while Dixon is a European Tour winner.

Out third will be Beeston Field’s Lee Clarke who teams up with Titleist and FootJoy PGA Professional champion Paul Hendriksen against Omar Uresti and Sean Dougherty. Uresti has six US Open appearances to his name and is a PGA Life Member.

Out last in the opening day fourballs for GB & I are Gareth Wright (West Linton), and Jason Levermore (Channels) who take Alan Morin – unbeaten in his previous PGA Cup appearance – and Grant Sturgeon.

“I’m very happy with the pairings,” said Bevan. “We spent most evenings coming up with scenarios based on everything we have seen here.

“In the first group, Mike has a calmness that we liked and it’s a big position to kick the thing off so we were happy with Mike to do that.”