Sabbatini, along with partner Trevor Immelman, won in the United States six years ago. Richard Sterne will again partner Sabbatini after the pair tied for seventh last year.
South Africa have won the tournament five times, dating back to 1965 when Gary Player and Harold Henning triumphed in Spain.
The United States have won the golf showpiece a record 23 times and are confident they can mount a strong challenge at Mission Hills this week and end a nine-year drought since they last took the trophy.
Tiger Woods and David Duval notched up the last victory for the United States in 2000.
“I think we are both playing well this year and we are looking to come and play well and compete for the championship,” said John Merrick, ranked 139 in the world, referring to himself and team-mate Nick Watney. “I think our games match up nicely for this format.”
Watney, ranked 31st in the world rankings, is coming to South Africa next week for the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City. He has won twice on the US PGA Tour, including this year’s Buick Invitational.
“We are here to try to end that drought,” he said. “I don’t know if not winning since 2000 is any indication of golf in the United States. I just think it’s an indication that everyone else is really good as well.”
The Championship is a 72-hole event with each of the 28 countries comprising two players.
The first and third days are fourball, in which four balls are used and the player with the fewest shots takes the hole for their team. The second and final days involve foursomes play, where the teams compete using only one ball per pair.
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