The 2018 World Cup of Golf will take place at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Australia on November 21-25. We look at the top teams vying for world glory.
Some of the finest golfers in the world will gather at the course in Victoria to contest the 59th edition of the tournament. There will be 56 players competing in pairs, with each pair representing their country. The format is a 72-hole stroke play event, in which the first and third days consist of fourball play and the second and fourth consist of foursomes.
The United States leads the way for titles won, with 23. Among the men to have claimed victory for the Americans are Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan.
5 teams to watch:
Australia – Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith
Leishman won his only European Tour title at the 2016 Nedbank Golf Challenge. The 35-year-old finished runner-up at the 2015 Open Championship and is currently 19th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Smith claimed his first tour victory in December 2017 at the Australian PGA Championship in his home state of Queensland. He beat compatriot Jordan Zunic in a play-off at RACV Royal Pines Resort.
China – Haotong Li and Ashun Wu
Li won his first European Tour title at the 2016 Volvo China Open, before claiming his second in impressive fashion at the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Wu won his third tour title at the 2018 KLM Open. He represented his country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
England: Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter
Hatton was part of the winning European team at the 2018 Ryder Cup. He has won three European Tour titles, including the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship twice.
Poulter will represent his country for the first time at the World Cup of Golf. The 12-time tour winner was also a teammate of Hatton’s at The Ryder Cup in September.
Ireland: Paul Dunne and Shane Lowry
Dunne won his first European Tour title at the 2017 Sky Sports British Masters. As an amateur he co-led the 2015 Open Championship after 54 holes.
Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur and has since gone on to win two other European Tour titles, including the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
USA: Matt Kuchar and Kyle Stanley
Kuchar won this tournament alongside Gary Woodland in 2011. He is a veteran of four Ryder Cup teams and has also represented his country at the 2016 Olympic Games and the Presidents Cup.
Stanley is a two-time PGA Tour winner and will be making his tournament debut this week.
The defending champions Denmark – Thorbjørn Olesen and Søren Kjeldsen
Olesen won the 2016 World Cup with Kjeldsen, with the duo finishing four shots clear of France, China and the United States. He won the 2018 Italian Open to reach five European Tour victories.
Kjeldsen will be making his seventh appearance in this competition. The four-time tour winner represented his country for the first time in 1998.
Credit: European Tour
