Adam Scott is delighted that this week’s World Cup of Golf has returned to a more traditional team event but the Australian remains opposed to any future participation at the Olympics.
The primarily individual format used at the last edition in 2013 has been jettisoned in favour of a two-player team event for this year’s 72-hole tournament, starting at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath yesterday.
The first and third days of 28-nation competition will see the teams compete in alternate shot play while the second and final days are best ball.
Former world number one Scott and Jason Day won the last edition, also held in Melbourne, with the latter clinching the individual title for the lowest overall score.
Current number one Day has been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a lingering back injury so Marc Leishman has stepped in to partner Scott in the Australia team at the tournament.
“It was great to win but it was a shame that we didn’t play one round together through the event,” Scott told reporters yesterday. “It didn’t have that team feel even though we were playing as a team, so this week will be a lot more fun for Marc and I going around together all four rounds.”
The Rio Olympics in August consisted of men’s and women’s 72-hole individual stroke-play tournaments as golf marked its return to the Games after a 112-year absence.
Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, skipped the Games, citing scheduling conflicts as the main reason for opting out of the tournament won by Britain’s Justin Rose. While the current world number seven believes a team-play format could boost golf at the Games, he was far from certain over his own participation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I think it could be a positive thing for the Olympics if they use this format but you’re always going to face scheduling issues with the Olympics being in the middle of the year,” Scott said. “I don’t really know what the answer is for that.”
Meanwhile Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker are targeting a record 25th World Cup for the US and thwarting Australia’s search for back-to-back successes in Melbourne this week.
The US pair are making their World Cup debuts at Kingston Heath but Walker said they had their eyes set on the trophy.
“Davis (Love) sent both of us a text the other day,” world number 19 Walker said yesterday. “(The message said:) ‘Go do what Freddie (Couples) and I did back in the day, bring it home.’ I can remember watching that when that happened.
“He knows what’s going on. He knows two of his guys are going down here to play and have a chance to bring it home. I know both of us enjoyed that.”
Couples and Love won four consecutive World Cups in the 1990s.
“I’ve played well down here,” Fowler, ranked 12th, said. “Jimmy’s played well down here and this style of golf definitely fits our games and we both like to hit shots.”
The World Cup of Golf, to be held at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club beginning today, features 28 two-man teams playing 72 holes of stroke play.
The first and third days will be the foursomes (alternate shot) and the second and final days fourballs (better ball).

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