As the PGA Tour goes into hibernation for the Holiday months, there is no reason to fret because the golfing world is headed down under for the ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf, to be contested at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia beginning Thanksgiving Day.
A total of 28 countries will compete with each having one two-player team. The first and third rounds of the tournament will be a best-ball format while the second and fourth rounds will play an alternate shot format. A different country has lifted the trophy in the past 11 playings with Denmark being the last in 2016. The duo of Thorbjorn Olesen and Soren Kjeldsen that won the hardware is back to defend their title at +1225 odds. The Australian team of Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith is the betting favorite +350 for good reason. England ( +525 ), United States ( +775 ) and Belgium ( +950 ) round out the top-5 favored teams.
Odds to Win ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf at BookMaker.eu
Australia +350
England +525
United States +775
Belgium +950
Denmark +1225
Korea +1250
China +1475
South Africa +1600
Ireland +1685
Scotland +1850
Spain +2975
France +3350
Mexico +3350
Sweden +4050
Canada +4050
Germany +4225
New Zealand +4475
Japan +4475
Thailand +4555
Italy +6050
India +6400
Finland +7375
Netherlands +8500
Wales +11500
Malaysia +12500
Zimbabwe +14500
Venezuela +14500
Greece +15500
Odds Analysis
United States +775
The team of Kyle Stanley and Matt Kuchar will try and get the U.S. its 25th Word Cup of Golf trophy, but they are longshots to accomplish the feat. We’ve seen the best American players skip over this event and the selection for this year was similar. Stanley, a two-time PGA Tour winner, accepted as the highest-ranked player and plucked seven-time Tour winner Kuchar as his sidekick. Not a bad choice. Kuchar won a World Cup with Gary Woodland in China in 2011 and finished second with Kevin Streelman at Royal Melbourne in 2013. He also has a win at the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico a few weeks ago.
Australia +350
The team of Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith get the hometown discount and come off as the betting favorite because of it. It’s not just about having the home course advantage, though. Leishman has seven top-12 finishes in his last 12 starts on home soil and shared ninth place with Adam Scott two years ago at Royal Melbourne. Smith tears it up at home, too, placing among the top-15 in nine of his last 10 home starts with a victory in the Australian PGA Championship.
Denmark +1225
They’re further down the odds list, but don’t discount the team of Thorbjorn Olesen and Soren Kjeldsen, who won this event by four shots at Royal Melbourne two years ago. Olesen also grabbed a share of third in 2013 with Thomas Bjorn and both those events were on the sandbelt. Olesen has enjoyed plenty of success with a 1-1 record at the Ryder Cup and a victory with teammate Lucas Bjerregaard at the first GolfSixes. He had options for a teammate, including reuniting with Bjerregaard, but chose Kjeldsen to defend their title.
South Africa +1600
The South Africans might be the closest team in the tournament. Dylan Frittelli and Erik van Rooyen both averaged over 306 yards per blast in 2018 and they’ve known each other for several years. If that translates to the course remains to be seen, but it is an interesting storyline. Frittelli has a stronger resume than his teammate and their experience is lacking compared to others in the field, but they are both talented golfers tee-to-green. Frittelli was T7 in Dubai last week while van Rooyen was T26. At this price they are worth the risk.
Course: Metropolitan Golf Course – 7,308-yards, Par-72
The Met offers up its share of challenges but it is also rewarding to the players who are accurate off the tee and strong on the greens. The Fairways are lined with thick rough and trees come into play. Three par-3s and three par-5s are on the back nine of the layout and the par 3s are on even-numbered holes, meaning strategy will come into play in rounds 2 and 4 when the alternate shot format is used.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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