World Cup of Golf: betting guide
As 2013 draws to a close, many of world's best golfers will be gearing themselves up to represent their country at this year's World Cup of Golf hosted at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia.
Assuming an ‘Olympic Style' format, The World Cup will return to 72 holes of stroke play, with the individuals competing for $7 million of the $8 million total purse.
The tournament will consist of 60 players, selected based on their Official World Golf Ranking.
Unsurprisingly a strong field has assembled in Melbourne, as for the first time in the event's history, World Ranking points will be up for grabs.
Home favourites Adam Scott and Jason Day will be at the top of list of picks to lift the trophy for Australia. Just days after the death of eight relatives due to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Day will be competing with a heavy heart.
Day and his Aussie partner Scott lead the betting with Ladbrokes at 13/8. The pair have great familiarity with Royal Melbourne and Scott is fresh off his win in the Australian Masters on the same course just last week. Those odds are pretty low but with the new tournament suiting them, I see this duo as the strongest team in the tournament by quite a margin.
The USA team of Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman at 6/1 with Ladbrokes are also worth a mention. The Americans are the reigning champions from last year and if they both carry over recent form, they could be in the hunt.
The Denmark team, at 16/1 with Ladbrokes, comprises veteran Thomas Bjorn and young sensation Thorbjorn Olesen. Bjorn capped off a great season inside the top 10 of the Race to Dubai could be a great partner to youngster Olesen. Olesen himself looks to be a great talent and has showed no signs of weakness playing on foreign soil for the majority of the season.
South Korea, at 40/1 with Ladbrokes, are a decent outside bet. With the experience of KJ Choi and the fresh talent of Sang-moon Bae, the South Koreans may surprise a few people. Having represented the Internationals at the President's Cup 2 years ago, Choi is no stranger to team golf at Royal Melbourne. World Cup of Golf advised bets:
4pts each way on Australia at 13/8 with Ladbrokes 3pts each way on USA at 6/1 with Ladbrokes 3pts each way on Denmark at 16/1 with Ladbrokes 2pts each way on South Korea at 40/1 with Ladbrokes
