ANNIKA Sorenstam on Wednesday rallied her International team ahead of the season-ending Lexus Cup next week, determined to go out with a bang in her last USLPGA event before quitting.

The veteran Swede captains the Internationals against Team Asia at the Singapore Island Country Club, drawing the curtain on her long career on the American tour.

'I've had the opportunity to play the last four years and be the captain and it's a fun event to end the season with', world number two Sorenstam, 38, told a teleconference.

'I am going to miss it but I am going to make the most out of this year. We haven't won it in two years so we need to get out there and do a lot of work to win'.

'But I feel very comfortable and confident in our team this year. We have some of the best players in the world on our side but you've got to remember that we all have to step up to the challenge and do the best we can'.

'Every player has their purpose and their role so we're all equally important'.

Joining Sorenstam will be world number five Suzann Pettersen, fourth-ranked Paula Creamer, the experienced Cristie Kerr, Angela Stanford and Karen Stupples, and veterans Nicole Castrale and Natalie Gulbis.

Newcomers to the team include Sweden's Helen Alfredsson and Australia's Katherine Hull.

Team Asia is skippered by Se Ri Pak and features world number three Tseng Yani from Taiwan and Lexus Cup rookies Park In Bee, Choi Na Yeon, Ji Eun Hee and Kim Song Hee, all from South Korea.

Candie Kung, Jang Jeong, Lee Seon-Hwa, Sarah Lee, and Japan's Mayumi Shimomura are also in the mix.

On paper, the International team looks stronger than Asia, and Sorenstam, who has 90 career victories including 10 Major titles, said she was expecting her women to bond well.

'We have some characters on our team. We have some who have been part of team events before so they know what it's like', she said.

'We also have some fun players and I know there isn't going to be a dull moment'.

Sorenstam is 'stepping away' from golf this year to raise a family and focus on other interests, although she does not rule out a comeback at some point in the future.

The matchplay event is held from November 28-30. -- AFP