World Cup Of Golf 2016 Preview - Kingston Heath GC

World Cup Of Golf - November 24 - 27

$US8 million prize money

Following on from the Australian Open is the World Cup Of Golf, which this year takes the place of the Australian Masters.

While the Masters yellow jacket will remain in the cupboard this season, the World Cup Of Golf sees one of the best fields assembled in Australia and the richest purse ever offered – a cool $8 million.

The Course

Rated as one of Australia's finest courses and among the world's best, Melbourne’s sandbelt gem Kingston Heath is the venue for the 2016 World Cup Of Golf. The event was last played in 2013 at Royal Melbourne and the Australian team of Jason Day and Adam Scott used their local knowledge to stunning effect. Day won the individual competition and combined with Scott to also win the teams event.

6503m, Par 72

The format

The World Cup Of Golf reverts to purely a teams’ event, with no individual leaderboard. Fifty-six players representing 28 countries will play 72 holes of strokeplay. The first and third rounds are played as foursomes - the alternate shot format - while the second and fourth rounds are fourball, where the team's best score of each hole is recorded.

Who's teeing it up?

One of the best fields of 2016 will assemble in The World Cup Of Golf.

Four top 10 players, 18 Presidents or Ryder Cup representatives and 27 Olympians are in the field along with six major champions, including two major winners of 2016.

Reigning World Cup titleholders Australia will be represented by Adam Scott and Marc Leishman, after Jason Day withdrew with a back injury.

Danny Willet and Lee Westwood dropped out of the Tournament late, and were replaced by Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan, while US PGA winner Jimmy Walker and Olympian Rickie Fowler will tee it up for the Stars and Stripes.

The Belgian bombers of Thomas Pieters and Nicholas Colsaerts will try to take advantage of Kingston Heath with their prodigious length off the tee, while the Venezuelan team goes all Vegas style with 2016 Canadian Open winner Jhonattan and his brother Julio.

Europe's in-form player Alex Noren and US PGA Tour member David Lingmerth look well placed representing Sweden.

Japan will have claims with Hideki Matsuyama, last week's WGC HSBC Champions winner in Shanghai, and fellow US Tour member Ryo Ishikawa.

Team Ireland's Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell also appear to be a leading combination. McDowell won the US Open in 2010 and Lowry was victorious in the WGC Bridgestone Championship last year.

THE TEAMS (world ranking)

Australia Adam Scott (7) Marc Leishman (53)

Austria Bernd Wiesberger (46) Martin Wiegele (1315)

Belgium Thomas Pieters (44) Nicolas Colsaerts (136)

Canada David Hearn (142) Adam Hadwin (181)

China Wu Ashun (171) Haotong Li (131)

Chinese Taipei C.T. Pan Chan (215) Shih-chang (189)

Denmark Soren Kjeldsen(50) Thorbjorn Olesen (70)

England Chris Wood (37) Andy Sullivan (40)

France Victor Dubuisson (93) Romain Langasque (188)

Germany Alex Cejka (139) Stephan Jaeger (466)

India SSP Chawrasia (220) Chikkarangappa S (321)

Ireland Shane Lowry (42) Graeme McDowell (81)

Italy Francesco Molinari (36) Matteo Manassero (344)

Japan Hideki Matsuyama (6) Ryo Ishikawa (99)

Korea Byeong Hun An (43) K.T. Kim (56)

Malaysia Danny Chia (286) Nicholas Fung (320)

Netherlands Joost Luiten (60) Darius van Driel (380)

New Zealand Danny Lee (62) Ryan Fox (158)

Philippines Miguel Tabuena (153) Angelo Que (453)

Portugal Ricardo Gouveia (121) José-Filipe Lima (282)

Scotland Russell Knox (18) Duncan Stewart (315)

South Africa Jaco Van Zyl (94) George Coetzee (139)

Spain Rafa Cabrera Bello (30) Jon Rahm (125)

Sweden Alex Noren (9) David Lingmerth (65)

United States Rickie Fowler (12) Jimmy Walker (19)

Thailand Thongchai Jaidee (49) Kiradech Aphibarnrat (75)

Venezuela Jhonattan Vegas (74) Julio Vegas (1872)

Wales Bradley Dredge (89) Stuart Manley (873)

Interesting fact

• * Rated this year by Golf Digest Magazine as the 18th best course in the world.
• * The World Cup Of Golf was originally called the Canada Cup and has been played since 1953. The US has won the cup a record 24 times.