Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland Spring 2013 | Page 16

t Cooper’s Blog Mat Follow Matt on Twitter: [email protected] World Cup of Golf gets Kiss of Life There was a time when golf’s World Cup had prestige. Founded in 1953 to foster international goodwill through golf its early winners indicate how highly thought of it was - Ben Hogan and Sam Snead won it in 1956, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were regular victors in the 60s and 70s, Seve Ballesteros is on the winner’s roster, as is Gary Player and Peter Thomson. The event travelled around the world - to Greece, Colombia, Mexico and, long before the Asian Tour, Thailand. But by the early 1980s is had lost its lustre. The Americans won in 1983, but their team tells you all you need to know about how that country now treated the event - Rex Caldwell and John Cook lifted the trophy, two names which don’t compare to Jack’s and Arnie’s. The tournament limped on, stuck at the end of the season, increasingly seen as a silly season event. Every couple of years something would be done to boost its profile. At the start of the 21st century it became a WGC event. That lasted seven years and then quietly stopped. Then it found a semi-permanent home in China, at the Mission Hills resort in China. It was part attempted resuscitation of an old event, part marketing ploy for the resort and Chinese golf. It kept the idea alive, but failed to attract a high quality field and therefore revive past glories. This year there is another shot at giving it the kiss of life as it is hosted by Royal Melbourne Golf Club. In a sense the World Cup is heading back to its roots - a traditional event, played on a classic course, taking golf around the world. The venue (the country as well as the course) deserves it: the event adds something to the short Australian Swing and you hope the World Cup will gain something in return. A good field, supported by the world’s very best players, would be a start and the course might attract a few. A curious feature of this year’s renewal is that the format will ape the new Olympic format. Rather than being primarily about team, it will now become more of an individual competition. Sixty players will qualify from the world rankings - two from each country (but up to four if the players are in the top 15). It will be 72-hole strokeplay with the top two scores counting for a sideshow team event. If it succeeds it in revitalizing a once-loved event Royal Melbourne and Australia can take plenty of credit. But the added individual nature of the format will be responsible too. Many golfers around the world crave the chance to play for their country. But the very best players in the world? They play for themselves first and foremost. 16 Q Golf Online Spring 2013 | www.golfqueensland.org.au