World Cup booked for Melbourne in November

The 10th hole at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne The World Cup of Golf will be held at the course in November. Photo: Gary Lisbon

The 59th edition of the World Cup of Golf returns to Australia in November at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne.
The tournament has been scheduled for November 21-25 and it is the only event that sees the world’s best come together and compete for their countries, outside of the Olympics. Each team comprises two players.
The World Cup is one of five events co-sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours. It is an historic event which has been played 58 times since 1953 in 25 countries.
“The World Cup of Golf has been a celebrated and valued tradition in the game for decades,” said Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner.
“The International Federation of PGA Tours is proud to see that tradition continue in 2018 with the best players from around the globe convening at The Metropolitan Golf Club.
“Golf in the sand belt region (of Melbourne) speaks for itself, and we appreciate The Metropolitan Golf Club opening its doors for this historic team event.”
What differentiates the World Cup  is the opportunity for the highest-ranked player from each competing country to choose his playing partner, thus maximising the camaraderie and competitive spirit. The 2018 event will continue with the same format from 2016, with the first and third days of competition played as four-ball (best ball) format and the second and final days as foursomes (alternate shot) play.
Several organisations (Visit Victoria, Golf Australia, the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, Lagardere and the PGA Tour) worked in collaboration to ensure the stretch of professional golf in Australia with three consecutive world-class events (Emirates Australian Open, Melbourne World Cup of Golf and Australian PGA Championship) would become a reality in 2018.
Melbourne World Cup of Golf executive director Robyn Cooper said: “It is a thrill to bring this unique, global team event back to Melbourne and the sand belt region.
“We appreciate the strong co-operation of all involved to ensure Australia’s golf fans would be able to enjoy this team competition in the sand belt region. A special thank you goes to Golf Australia and Lagardere for working with us to resolve some scheduling challenges. The group’s overall combined efforts are certainly in the best interests of golf fans in Australia.”
The Melbourne World Cup of Golf brought significant global star power to the sand belt region in 2016, with 17 of the top 50 players in the world on hand, including Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker, Alex Noren, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Shane Lowry, An Byeong-hun and Russell Knox. Players outside the top 50 at the start of the 2016 event that are currently among the top 50 include Jon Rahm (4), Marc Leishman (13) and Jhonattan Vegas (43).
The 2018 event will mark the third consecutive playing of the World Cup in the sand belt region. Danes Søren Kjeldsen and Thorbjørn Olesen captured the 2016 edition at Kingston Heath Golf Club, while Aussies Scott and Jason Day were victorious at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2013.
Following the 2018 Melbourne World Cup, the sand belt region will again grab the spotlight as the 2019 Presidents’ Cup is staged at Royal Melbourne for a third time.
The Victorian minister for tourism and major events John Eren said:  “We’re getting it done – making Victoria Australia’s home of golf by bringing the best domestic and international tournaments right to our doorstep.
“The flow on effects from these types of events are huge – they give visitors another reason to come to Melbourne and make our economy stronger.”
The 2018 Melbourne World Cup will mark the sixth time in the tournament’s history that it will be played in Australia, which is the second-most all-time behind the United States at  11.
Visit Victoria chief executive officer Peter Bingeman said: “Our aspiration is for the Melbourne sand belt to become a bucket list destination for golf enthusiasts globally, and that’s why we are thrilled to once again partner with PGA Tour to showcase Melbourne’s courses to the world.
“In 2016 we highlighted Kingston Heath, in 2018 we celebrate Metropolitan and in 2019 the Royal Melbourne Golf Club hosts the Presidents Cup.”
Metropolitan club captain Marcus Harty added: “The Metropolitan Golf Club is proud to be selected to host the World Cup of Golf 2018.
“The tournament has a rich history featuring the greatest golfers from across the eras and we look forward to welcoming the current generation of greats to Metropolitan. We are excited that we will have the opportunity to further showcase the Melbourne Sandbelt to the world, particularly our own ‘Metro’ with its unique architecture and highly-regarded course conditioning.”