Englishmen Matt Wallace and Eddie Pepperell, both European Tour winners in 2018, will represent the home side when the innovative GolfSixes returns to Centurion Club in St Albans, near London, from May 5-6.

England are the highest ranked of the 11 qualifying teams who join defending champions Denmark and four wildcard entries to form a 16-team field packed full of European Tour winners in the second staging of the innovative six-hole competition.

The confirmed qualified teams from around the world are: England, France, Australia, Thailand, Italy, South Korea, South Africa, USA, Spain, Scotland and Sweden.

Pepperell claimed his maiden European Tour victory by finishing on 18 under par at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in February, while Wallace won a thrilling play-off against countryman Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston to win the Hero Indian Open earlier this month. Wallace is now looking forward to teeing it up in the unique GolfSixes event for the first time.

The 27 year old said: “Playing in front of a home crowd is an exciting prospect and something I’ve always looked forward to. Last year it looked as if there were a lot of kids enjoying the whole experience, so it should be a lot of fun to play in front of so many young fans and hopefully get them excited about golf.

“I think it’s a great idea to have new and different formats like this on the European Tour, and, with the wildcard teams in the mix this year, there could be some intriguing match ups. Eddie and I have both had good starts to the year, and the chance to team up to represent England is really exciting. I’m sure we’ll have a good laugh on the course and hopefully give the home fans plenty to cheer about.”

European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn and Solheim Cup Captain Catriona Matthew will become the first male and female professionals to play together in a competitive match play format on the European Tour when they form the ‘Captains Team’ as one of the four wildcard entries.

An ‘England Women’s Team’ comprising Charley Hull and Georgia Hall will be joined by a ‘European Women’s Team’ of Norwegian Suzann Pettersen and England’s Mel Reid, with the final wildcard team to be confirmed shortly.

Defending champions Lucas Bjerregaard and Thorbjørn Olesen will return to represent Denmark in the fast-paced competition as the 16 teams go head to head for a total prize fund of €1 million with the eventual winners receiving €100,000 each.

The 16 teams will compete over six holes in a group stage, with teams split into four groups of four, before the top two teams from each group progress to the knockout stages – the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, a third/fourth place play-off match and the final.

In the group stages, three points will be given for victory with one point awarded for a draw and the matches will be played in a greensomes match play format.

Once again the six holes will be themed, with the popular shot clock hole returning – with a penalty imposed if players take longer than 30 seconds per shot – alongside the long drive and closest to the pin holes.

The innovative six-hole competition will have a festival feel with a centrally-located Fan Zone full of entertainment for all the family.

The 15 confirmed teams are:

Defending champions:

DENMARK: Lucas Bjerregaard, Thorbjørn Olesen

Qualified teams:

1. ENGLAND: Matt Wallace, Eddie Pepperell
2. FRANCE: Romain Wattel, Alexander Levy
3. AUSTRALIA: Wade Ormsby, Sam Brazel
4. THAILAND: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thongchai Jaidee
5. ITALY: Renato Paratore, Edoardo Molinari
6. SOUTH KOREA: Jeunghun Wang, Soomin Lee
7. SOUTH AFRICA: George Coetzee, Haydn Porteous
8. USA: Julian Suri, David Lipsky
9. SPAIN: Pablo Larrazábal, Adrian Otaegui
10. SCOTLAND: Richie Ramsay, Scott Jamieson
11. SWEDEN: Alexander Björk, Joakim Lagergren

Wildcard teams:
1. CAPTAINS TEAM: Thomas Bjørn, Catriona Matthew
2. ENGLAND WOMEN’S TEAM: Charley Hull, Georgia Hall
3. EUROPEAN WOMEN’S TEAM: Suzann Pettersen, Mel Reid
4. FINAL TEAM TBC

Tickets for the event, which will feature amphitheatre-style stands around tees and greens, music and pyrotechnics on the first tee and player engagement across the course, are on sale now for just £16 for adults and £5 for children from http://et.golf/clscgA.