Graeme McDowell says team spirit still crucial in Golf World Cup

 

Such is the unique nature of the new format chosen for the first time for this World Cup, which starts on Thursday at Royal Melbourne, there is a greater financial incentive for players to be crowned World Cup champion as an individual, rather than the event's long-standing tradition to earn that honour as a nation.

Rather than two-man teams playing with each other in alternating stroke play rounds of fourball and foursomes, players will compete as if it were a normal tournament - four days of individual stroke play, and will be grouped accordingly.

The player on top of the leaderboard on Sunday will win the individual event, while the best combined score from both players from each country throughout the four days will secure the teams event for their nation. The dramatic change has been met with an uncertain reaction by the players, most of whom seem content to take a ''let's wait-and-see if it works'' approach.

Ireland star Graeme McDowell, ranked No. 12 in the world, was one of the most outspoken on Wednesday as players flocked to Royal Melbourne for practice, saying he understood the reasons behind the format shake-up.

The change will provide a trial for golf's introduction into the next Olympics and the major individual focus allows the event to offer official world golf ranking points which, along with the increased prizemoney, has the potential to lure higher-calibre players.

But McDowell said it was paramount that the event preserved its traditional teams aspect, and said it was up to the players, such as himself and teammate Shane Lowry, to drive the nation-v-nation pride that has always given the World Cup a unique edge.

''From myself and Shane's point of view - you see we are kind of wearing similar colours and stuff today - we are passionate about the team element this week and I think it is important that all of the players get behind that,'' he said.

''The individual of course is very important … but I think the World Cup will forever be about the winning team and representing your country.''

 

World Cup of Golf leaderboard

Leaderboard Round 1 Last Updated : 11/21/2013 1:00:01 PM

Pos Player Country Today Thru To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total 1 Matt Kuchar USA -4 7 -4 23 - - - 23 2 Stuart Manley WAL -2 12 -2 45 - - - 45 2 Choi K.J. KOR -2 10 -2 37 - - - 37 2 Victor Dubuisson FRA -2 10 -2 37 - - - 37 2 Brendon de Jonge ZIM -2 9 -2 33 - - - 33 2 Martin Laird SCO -2 9 -2 33 - - - 33 2 Adam Scott AUS -2 7 -2 25 - - - 25 2 Bae Sang-Moon KOR -2 3 -2 10 - - - 10 2 Danny Willett ENG -2 3 -2 10 - - - 10 10 Kiradech Aphibarnrat THA -1 9 -1 34 - - - 34 10 Rafael Cabrera Bello ESP -1 9 -1 34 - - - 34 10 Branden Grace RSA -1 8 -1 30 - - - 30 10 Brad Fritsch CAN -1 5 -1 18 - - - 18 10 Mikko Korhonen FIN -1 5 -1 18 - - - 18 10 Gregory Bourdy FRA -1 3 -1 11 - - - 11 10 Prayad Marksaeng THA -1 3 -1 11 - - - 11 17 Tony Lascuna PHI E 14 E 54 - - - 54 17 Ricardo Santos POR E 11 E 43 - - - 43 17 Hideto Tanihara JPN E 10 E 39 - - - 39 17 Peter Hanson SWE E 8 E 31 - - - 31 17 Thomas Bjorn DEN E 8 E 31 - - - 31 17 David Hearn CAN E 7 E 27 - - - 27 17 Alexandre Rocha BRA E 6 E 23 - - - 23 17 Fabian Gomez ARG E 6 E 23 - - - 23 17 Mark Tullo CHI E 6 E 23 - - - 23 17 Robert-Jan Derksen NED E 5 E 19 - - - 19 17 Angelo Que PHI E 4 E 16 - - - 16 17 Jose-Filipe Lima POR E 4 E 16 - - - 16 17 Anirban Lahiri IND E 3 E 12 - - - 12 17 Nicolas Colsaerts BEL E 3 E 12 - - - 12 17 George Coetzee RSA E 1 E 4 - - - 4 17 Ryo Ishikawa JPN E 1 E 4 - - - 4 17 Vijay Singh FIJ E 1 E 4 - - - 4 17 Bernd Wiesberger AUT E 1 E 4 - - - 4 17 Thorbjorn Olesen DEN E 1 E 4 - - - 4 36 Roope Kakko FIN +1 14 +1 55 - - - 55 36 Adilson da Silva BRA +1 12 +1 48 - - - 48 36 Maximilian Kieffer GER +1 7 +1 28 - - - 28 36 Espen Kofstad NOR +1 4 +1 17 - - - 17 40 Siddikur Rahman BAN +2 12 +2 49 - - - 49 40 Chris Wood ENG +2 9 +2 37 - - - 37 40 Matteo Manassero ITA +2 7 +2 29 - - - 29 40 Stephen Gallacher SCO +2 1 +2 6 - - - 6 44 Oscar Fraustro MEX +3 14 +3 57 - - - 57 44 Tim Sluiter NED +3 12 +3 50 - - - 50 44 A-shun Wu CHN +3 12 +3 50 - - - 50 44 Shane Lowry IRL +3 9 +3 38 - - - 38 44 Tim Wilkinson NZL +3 7 +3 30 - - - 30 49 Emiliano Grillo ARG +5 12 +5 52 - - - 52 49 Felipe Aguilar CHI +5 11 +5 48 - - - 48 51 Gaganjeet Bhullar IND +6 11 +6 49 - - - 49 - Francesco Molinari ITA 12:56 P.M. - - - - - - - - Kevin Streelman USA 12:56 P.M. - - - - - - - - Miguel A. Jimenez ESP 12:56 P.M. - - - - - - - - Graeme McDowell IRL 01:08 P.M. - - - - - - - - Jason Day AUS 01:08 P.M. - - - - - - - - Jonas Blixt SWE 01:08 P.M. - - - - - - - - Liang Wen-Chong CHN 01:20 P.M. - - - - - - - - Marcel Siem GER 01:20 P.M. - - - - - - - - Mike Hendry NZL 01:20 P.M. - - - - - - -

Graeme McDowell set to play for Ireland in Rio Olympics

 

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell expects to play for Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

 

McDowell is representing Ireland at this week's World Cup in Melbourne, which rules out the option of playing for Team GB in Brazil.

Olympic rules state that he could only play for Team GB if three years have passed since representing Ireland.

"With Olympic regulations I'll have to play for Ireland when it comes to the Olympics - if good enough," he said.

Athletes born in Northern Ireland are eligible to represent Great Britain or Ireland at Olympic Games.

Fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy still has the choice of playing for Great Britain or Ireland in Rio, if he decides to take part.

Like McIlroy, McDowell has been reluctant to commit to either team due to the political ramifications of such a choice and has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide for him.

He added: "It is a very touchy political and religious subject, one that myself and Rory have not really enjoyed answering questions about the last few years because it is very difficult to pick a side because you are going to end up upsetting someone from either side.

"From my point of view, when the World Cup came back on the schedule and it was coming to Royal Melbourne, I knew that I wanted to be part of this team. We have always represented Ireland when it has come to the World Cup."

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson has expressed sympathy for the Northern Irishmen's dilemma , and said earlier this year that he hoped the burden of choice could be taken away from them.

McDowell appeared confident the issue was settled.

"Part of me feels relieved to not have to make that decision," said McDowell, who will team up with Ireland's Shane Lowry at Royal Melbourne.

"It certainly did not enter into my reasons to wanting to be here this week. I wanted to be here and play with Shane, around Royal Melbourne, in a golf tournament which I have always loved."

Canada against the world in new-look global golf tournament

 

Adam Scott of Australia is a favourite this week in the World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne, where he won the Australian Masters last week. Scott and Jason Day will represent Australia in the team event, which this year is being overshadowed by a more lucrative individual competition.

 

A golf tournament that was once the pride of Canada gets rolling Thursday at Melbourne, Australia.

The World Cup of Golf — known as the Canada Cup from 1953 through 1967 — features 26 two-man teams from across the globe but has been rejigged this year with the emphasis shifting to a lucrative individual competition.

The individual event carries $7 million in prize money and will include eight players who are not members of teams. The team event, by comparison, has a purse of only $1 million.

Canada has captured the team crown three times: Al Balding and George Knudson in 1968 in Rome; Dan Halldorson and Jim Nelford in 1980 in Bogota, Colombia; and Dave Barr and Halldorson in 1985 at La Quinta, Calif.

David Hearn and Brad Fritsch are representing Canada, but teammates aren’t necessarily paired together during the four rounds of the tournament under this year’s new format.

Adam Scott and Jason Day, playing on home soil, are considered the favourites in the team competition. Scott won the Australian Masters last week, also at Royal Melbourne.

“The new format is a little strange,” Scott told reporters in Australia.

“I was kind of hoping I would be spending the four days playing alongside Jason as I thought that would be good for both of us, but then this event is trying to find a new identity, I guess.

“So we are running with this new format this year ahead of taking it to the Olympics in 2016, so we will see how it pans out.”

The U.S. is the defending  champion. Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland took top spot with a score of 264, two strokes ahead of England and Germany, at Mission Hills Golf Club in China in 2011, when the event became a biennial competition, in part to accommodate golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016.

 

Adam Scott and Jason Day could fight out World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne

This week's reformatted World Cup of Golf could witness the bizarre scenario of Adam Scott fighting Australian teammate Jason Day for victory in the $8 million event at Royal Melbourne.

In contrast to the full two-man team format over the past six decades, this year's field features 52 players in two-man teams from 26 countries.

 

But it also has another eight players, including Belgian-born Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts, Fiji's Vijay Singh and Welshman Jamie Donaldson, teeing off on their own to make up a field of 60.

While 52 players will fight for the $1 million first place team prize, the other eight "single country" players will be ineligible. However, all 60 are eligible for the $1.2 million first prize cheque for the individual champion.

The revised format is a prelude to the one that will be used when golf re-enters the Olympics in 2016 in Brazil, although England, Wales and Scotland, who are competing individually this week, will come under the Great Britain umbrella in Rio.

Unlike all prior World Cup's since the inaugural event in 1953, teammates will compete in different groups over the first two days, with world number two Scott paired with American Matt Kuchar and Italy's Matteo Manassero on Thursday.

If they should be grouped together over the weekend then under the new rules neither player can offer advice to the other or be able to concede any putts.

"The new format is a little strange," said Scott, who is in red-hot form after winning back-to-back tournaments in Australia over the past fortnight.

"I was kind of hoping I would be spending the four days playing alongside Jason as I thought that would be good for both of us but then this event is trying to find a new identity, I guess.

"So we are running with this new format this year ahead of taking it to the Olympics in 2016, so we will see how it pans out."

Kuchar teamed with countryman Gary Woodland to capture the last World Cup two years ago in China, but this time he pairs with Kevin Streelman, a winner this year of the Tampa Bay Championship and runner-up in the Players Championship.

However, world number seven Kuchar is still getting over the disappointment of double-bogeying the final hole on Sunday to let slip victory to Scott in the Australian Masters.

"The 7-iron second shot I hit on Sunday was just two to three inches away from being perfect and that is one of the things you learn in playing Royal Melbourne, and that is the fine line between good and bad," said Kuchar.

"There are places where you can be aggressive and there (are) other places where you have to be conservative. So it would be nice now to go one better this week and for Kevin and myself to ensure the trophy stays in American hands."

Other teams likely to be in contention include Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry, Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Miguel Angel Jimenez, and the Japanese pairing of Ryo Ishikawa and Hideto Tanihara.

Veteran Jimenez has made 13 previous World Cup appearances but it will be the first for Cabrera-Bello, who is aiming to lean on his elder teammate's experience.

"Spain have come very close to winning in recent years, so hopefully we can go one better this time," he said.

"Even though it is mainly a stroke-play event, I'm sure we will be encouraging each other and looking out for each other's scores during the week."