2016 winners – Thorbjørn Olesen & Soren Kjeldsen from Denmark
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Australian duo Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith will face a field that includes the defending champions, major championship winners and leading players from previous Presidents and Ryder Cups at the 2018 ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf, with each country’s leading player having selected his partner for the unique team format.
Following a four-stroke triumph at Kingston Heath in the 2016 edition, the winning duo from Denmark will return to Melbourne to defend their title, with Thorbjørn Olesen selecting 2016 partner Soren Kjeldsen. The victory was Denmark’s first win in the World Cup of Golf, topping their previous best finish, a runner-up in 2001 by Thomas Bjørn and Soren Hansen. With the win, a European country collected its seventh victory in the last nine editions of the World Cup of Golf.
India will be represented by seasoned golfers Gaganjeet Bhullar (Shubhankar has withdrawn from the event, it was earlier declared that he will be playing at the event) and Anirban Lahiri; the latter, who is a regular on the PGA TOUR, was part of the International team in the 2015 and 2017 Presidents Cup tournaments. Meanwhile, following Emiliano Grillo’s withdrawal Argentina were replaced by Wales.
This year’s tournament will be contested at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne from November 21-25, 2018. The 59th staging of the event will see the 56-player field vie for the largest prize money purse in Australian golf, with US$7 million on offer. The 72-hole stroke play team format will feature Four-ball (best ball) play in the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) play in the second and final rounds.
World Cup Teams (Bold – Players playing for the first time)