The 59th World Cup of Golf gets underway from the Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne on Thursday, marking the fifth occasion the time honoured event has been held on Australian shores.
Just a week on from the Australian Open, the tournament is often thought of as a golfing celebration, bringing together 28 nations and 56 players to contest the coveted prize. Although interest in the event continues to wane from a talent perspective, the World Cup of Golf has hosted some of the sports biggest names, including Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
This year, the historic Metropolitan plays host, a par 72 course that features luscious fairways and firm greens that have become a favourite of Greg Norman’s.
So which team looks a chance to take home the $7 million prize money?
We’ve analysed all the favourites, and our 2018 World Cup of Golf Preview can be seen below.
Australia – Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith @ $5.00
Our Aussies have won the World Cup of Golf on five separate occasions, most recently in 2013 thanks to a tremendous partnership between Jason Day and Adam Scott.
This year, Leishman and Smith look to win Australia’s second Cup on home soil, and given their recent form, it’s not hard to see why the pair open as this year’s favourite.
Leishman, currently ranked No.21 in the world, is the highest ranked player in this year’s tournament. That title gave Leishman the opportunity to pick his partner, an easy decision considering Smith’s sixth year as a professional has resulted in tremendous success.
Smith finished tied for fifth earlier this year at The Masters, and more recently, had consecutive third-place finishes in the opening US PGA Tour playoff events. Last week the 25-year old finished tied for 10th at -6 under par in the Australian Open.
As for Leishman, no one will forget his amazing eagle at the 15th hole at Augusta earlier this year, or his win at the CIMB Classic in October. He now hopes the decision to choose Smith ahead of Adam Scott as his teammate pays off.
England – Tyrell Hatton, Ian Poulter @ $7.50
The Aussies might be in form, but nothing compares to the strong partnership of the English team this year.
Tyrell Hatton and Ian Poulter teamed up at the Ryder Cup in Paris last month, and with close to 30-years of golfing experience between them, the Poms will be tough to beat.
Speaking of experience, Poulter knows a thing or two about playing good golf in Melbourne. Europe’s Ryder Cup captain’s pick won the Australian Masters at the Victoria Golf Club back in 2011, and also finished behind Adam Scott at Kingston Heath the next year.
United States – Kyle Stanley, Matt Kuchar @ $9.00
You won’t have to look far to find the Americans this weekend.
They’ll tee off right alongside Leishman and Smith on Thursday, which sets up a big time rivalry between the United States, who have won the World Cup 24 times, and this year’s hosts.
Like Smith, Kyle Stanley called an early end to his 2018 season after the 30-man Tour Championship back in September. As for Matt Kuchar, the 40-year old tour veteran is fresh from a drought ending win in Mexico a fortnight ago.
Kuchar is a former Olympic bronze medalist, but he’s tasked with restoring the pride of golf’s greatest nation this weekend – something he’s already done once before.
The United States were disgraced by Europe in the Ryder Cup earlier this year, so you can expect them to be hungry to get the job done. Fortunately, Kuchar knows how to win the World Cup having done so in 2011 alongside Gary Woodland.
Denmark – Thorjorn Olesen, Soren Kjeldsen @ $11.00
The reigning champions are back to defend their crown, even if individually their 2018 season hasn’t gone according to plan.
Olesen has endured a pretty up and down year after missing the cut at the US Open earlier in June. The 28-year old did enjoy a mini run finishing 12th in the British Open and third in the WGC Invitational a tournament later, but his struggles on the European Tour have been well documented.
As for Soren Kjeldesen, the 43-year old’s best days are well behind him, however you can’t underestimate the old work horse. Kjeldsen finished seventh at The Masters two year’s ago, and has become one of the most familiar faces at the World Cup now making his seventh appearance.
South Korea – An Byeong-hun, Kim Si-woo @ $11.00
An is making his second appearance in the World Cup, holding South Korea’s entire international recognition in the palm of his hands.
A win for the Koreans would mark the first in the country’s history, and it’s definitely not out of the question. Both Hun and Woo are close friends, practicing the occasional round together. Both players form one of the youngest teams in this year’s tournament, and are big names to keep an eye on in Majors going forward.
China – Li Haotong, Wu Ashun @ $17.00
China finished runner-up at Melbourne in 2016, their best result to date.
Li Haotong and Wu Ashun return for the second time, and if Ashun’s form is anything to go by, they could easily walk away with the Cup. The 33-year old won his third event on the European circuit earlier in September, birdying home the last hole to win the KLM Open.