Day, Scott head powerful Australian team for World Cup defence

World number one Jason Day will team up with Australia’s only Masters champion Adam Scott to defend their World Cup of Golf crown in November, organisers said yesterday.
 The pair won the team title when it was last played in 2013 and Day also took out the individual competition. He has since recorded nine PGA Tour victories including two World Golf Championship wins and his first major championship victory at the 2015 US PGA Championship.
 “The victory at the 2013 World Cup of Golf was a kick-start to a phenomenal stretch of golf for me,” Day said. “I really can’t imagine a better scenario than to represent Australia in our home country, with one of my good mates at Kingston Heath, one of my all-time favourite courses.”
 World number six Bubba Watson will lead the US charge but the two-time Masters champion has yet to pick his partner. “I’ve been wanting to make the World Cup of Golf team for a while,” Watson said. “I love the team format, it is different to other events that we play and I know it will be a great experience.”
 England’s Danny Willett, who won his first major at the Masters this year, teams up with Lee Westwood, one of the men he beat by three strokes at Augusta. “I was at Royal Melbourne in 2013, and although I didn’t play as well as I would’ve liked, it was a cracking course and I’ve heard Kingston Heath is just as good,” Willett said.
 In a return to the tournament’s format before 2013, 28 two-man teams will represent their countries at the Melbourne club on November 23-27 for the 58th playing of the World Cup.
 Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, who stands at 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking, will play for Japan. He has yet to decided on a partner.
 The highest-ranked players have committed to the World Cup and have until August 26 to choose a playing partner.
 Other contenders include Ireland’s Shane Lowry, Korea’s An Byeong-Hun and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee. Victor Dubuisson will lead France and Francesco Molinari is in for Italy. The 2016 tournament reverts to a 72-hole, stroke play, two-man team event. The first and third days will be foursomes (alternate shot) and the second and final days are fourball play.
 Willett, whose form has tailed off since his remarkable win in the first major of the season in April, earned the right to choose his partner because he is the highest-ranked Englishman. “It’s a different format this time so I’m really looking forward to playing with Westy,” said Willett, who finished 37th in the golf tournament at the Rio Olympics. “He’s played in nine Ryder Cups and has unbelievable experience of foursomes and fourballs, so I couldn’t have picked a better partner,” added the 28-year-old.
 Westwood, who has been a stalwart of several Ryder Cup-winning European teams down the years, for his part said he was delighted he would be making his debut in the tournament with Willett.
 “Over the past couple of years Danny has shown what he’s capable of and I’ve got no doubt he’s going to prove a great partner, so I’m looking forward to pairing up with him,” said Westwood.
 “I’ve always enjoyed team golf. It’s an exciting format and it adds to the occasion when you’re playing for your country, so hopefully we can bring the trophy home with us,” added the 43-year-old.
 Scotland also announced their duo, in-form Russell Knox, who won the Travelers Championship this month, selecting Duncan Stewart, who went to the same American university as him.