Team golf is the order of the day this week as pairs from 28 nations head to Australia for the World Cup of Golf, a biannual tournament which sees foursomes and fourballs played over the four days to determine the World Cup winners.
Australia won the tournament two years ago and are back to defend their title on home soil but there are some decent pairings teeing it up this week which should make for a decent enough week albeit not one which is easily watched in the UK given the time difference.
Recent Winners
2013 – Australia
2011 – United States
2009 – Italy
2008 – Sweden
2007 – Scotland
2006 – Germany
2005 – Wales
2004 – England
2003 – South Africa
2002 – Japan
The Course
Kingston Heath in Melbourne is the venue for the tournament this week. It plays to a par of 72 and a yardage of just 7,087 yards so the course is going to offer up plenty of birdies especially in the even rounds which will be the fourball rounds.
The fairways are pretty wide and the greens are big so the players can be aggressive throughout the week and there is every chance this will turn into a putting competition on the firm and fast layout so form players could be key this week.
The Field
Among the players involved for the various nations are Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker the USPGA champion, Bernd Wiesberger, Alex Noren and Graeme McDowell.
India will be making their debut in the tournament but there is no Anirban Lahiri in their side which is disappointing. Much has been made of the England participants and despite Lee Westwood’s frustration it is Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan who represent them.
Market Leaders
The Australia pairing of Adam Scott and Marc Leishman enter the week as the 5/1 favourites and that is completely understandable given they are at home and Adam Scott is the highest ranked player in the tournament.
Japan are former winners of this tournament and Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Ishikawa will look to extend that fine record. They begin the week as 8/1 shots with the USA a point bigger. USA usually take this tournament serious and Fowler and Walker begin as 9/1 shots.
Spain go into the tournament as 10/1 chances but Jon Rahm and Rafa Cabrera Bello aren’t regular winners on any tour so they look a little short unlike Sweden for whom Alex Noren and David Lingmerth could be very dangerous. It is 14/1 bar those named.
Betting
You can make a case for plenty of the shorter priced nations but there are a couple of mid-range priced sides that I like here. I’m not going too mad on the event but a couple of bets will do nobody any harm.
My first pick are Korea. Both Byeong-Hun An and K T Kim are lengthy drivers of the ball if not necessarily the most accurate but they certainly are accurate with their iron play and that is something which should stand them in good stead here.
Both men have had experience of the Presidents Cup and the EurAsia Trophy so playing foursomes and fourballs won’t be alien to them. If they can get hot they have the ability to go pile up the birdies and get right into the mix here.
I’m also going to take the straight hitting pair representing Italy. Not many golfers on the planet are hotter than Francesco Molinari and he knows how to win this thing having partnered his brother to success back in 2009.
Matteo Manassero has had his issues but he is coming back to the sort of form we expect from him and with the positions Francesco will stick him in and the release of the pressure valve in fourballs I fancy these two passionate Italians could combine for a lot of birdies on a track where accuracy and strategy is key.
Tips
Back Korea to win World Cup of Golf (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 23.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-4)
Back them here:
Back Italy to win World Cup of Golf (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 29.00 with Coral (1/5 1-4)
Back them here:
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