Marc Leishman and Cam Smith stood, cold and wet, on the World Cup abyss and then promptly ran away.

The Australian pair, joint leaders after a hot fourball opening on Thursday, found themselves seven strokes behind Belgium after a wobbly foursomes start in near Antarctic conditions at Melbourne’s Metropolitan Golf Course on Friday.

But in the nick of time, the Aussies, pre-tournament favourites, hit back with three crucial birdies on the trot from the 14^th to edge back into contention at the halfway mark.

The Australians’ 76 left them in a share of eighth at six under, but only four behind joint leaders Belgium (71) and Korea (72) who were equal parts stoic and brilliant in conditions that reduced some countries to the golfing equivalent of quivering messes.

So brutal was the rain and wind on occasions that no fewer than five countries signed for scores of worse than 80 with Greece capitulating on the back nine with three triple-bogey sevens en route to an 87.

New Zealand signed for a second-round 76 with the Kiwis finding just one birdie – on the par-five seventh – in a round Mark Brown and Ryan Fox could only describe as a slog that ended at a three-under total and a share of 14th.

Only four nations returned sub-par scores with Belgium joined by Italy (-9) and Scotland (-6) with 71s, while the Mexican combination (-7) of newly crowned Australian Open champion Abraham Ancer and Roberto Diaz were the standouts carding a 70 to slide up to seventh.

Ancer said the pair had played a lot together, including playing together in the same format at the US PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic  where they learned the nuances of alternate shot golf.

“We really team well together and it showed today,” Ancer said.

“There’s a lot you need to do to play well (in foursomes) and I think our round today showed we are a good team, especially in those conditions.”

Leishman smiled when asked about the severity of conditions.

“I don’t play when it’s like this normally,” he joked. “If I look out the window and it’s like this, I’m settling in on the couch.

“I’m not making excuses at all, it was the same for everyone … some guys played really well and there’s some good scores out there, just unfortunately not from us.”

The Aussies had their share of bad luck on the front nine, including a ball in an almost unplayable lie in rough on a small island in a greenside bunker on the fourth that resulted in a bogey from almost nowhere.

A three-putt double-bogey on the short sixth was followed by Leishman’s failure to escape a bunker on the 10^th and another double-bogey that left the hosts on the edge.

“It’s the simple things, like leaving it in a bunker, you can’t make those mistakes,” Leishman said.

“But looking at the positives, we fought back well there and we’ve got two days to go.

“We were seven back with a few holes to go and then had those three birdies in a row and now we’re four back and it’s not over.”

Smith, who had several good putts stay out, was equally buoyant.

“In conditions like this, stuff like that is bound to happen … but I thought we limited our damage reasonably well,” Smith said.

“Especially that back nine, we played really solid golf. We stuck to our guns and it paid off.”

The third round will be played in a fourball format with Team Australia playing alongside Team France and teeing off at 10.45am while Team New Zealand will be on course with Team Finland at 10am.

For all round 2 scores please visit pga.org.au

For all round 3 tee times please visit pga.org.au

Team Australia has got down to business at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf with Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith finalising their strategy for the week.

Combining to represent Australia for the first time, Leishman and Smith enter as strong contenders to win the title on home soil.

“It’s the second time I’ve done it.  Obviously last World Cup in 2016 we (partnered with Adam Scott) had a lot of fun,” said Leishman.

“It wasn’t the result we were after, but it’s nice to be back here in Melbourne and representing our country.  Hopefully, we can play well and do everyone proud.”

While Smith, who makes his World Cup debut added, “It’s a great location, great golf course.  We’ve been out and played all 18 now, so the course is in amazing condition and I think it should be a good week for everyone.”

Itching to get out on course, Leishman and Smith played nine holes on Monday afternoon and were back at work early this morning.

Having reacquainted themselves with the Metropolitan layout, the duo believes they have crafted a strong strategy to ensure victory on Sunday afternoon.

“After about seven or eight holes yesterday, it was pretty clear which holes I wanted to tee off and which holes I knew that went left to right, right to left.  It was a pretty easy decision,” said Leishman.

“I think the holes are going to set up pretty well for us.  We still have to play very well, hit good shots, but we’re not going to be able to blame uncomfortable tee shots or anything.”

Giving Team Australia some inside knowledge on his home club was Victorian amateur David Micheluzzi who finished tied fifth and low amateur at the Emirates Australian Open last week.

“It’s great of him (Micheluzzi) to come out.  Obviously he’s a great player and played very well last week,” said Leishman.

“There’s a few holes that look a lot narrower off the tee than what they actually are and shots into the greens that look very narrow just because of the positioning of bunkers, and then when you get up there they’re really wide.

“He helped us with that, just showing us where’s fine, where’s not fine.  Yeah, it was good of him to come out and hopefully that will pay off at the end of the week.”

With Smith, who is just three years Micheluzzi’s senior, adding; “He kind of kept out of the way, but kind of gave his information.  It was actually quite helpful.

“A couple of those tee shots and hitting them into trees and knowing where to land them, it was pretty good.”

Team Australia will be hoping to get off to a strong start in the four ball, when they are paired with Team USA and tee off at 11.35am on Thursday.

Defending champions Team Denmark are hoping that their individual golf styles will once again complement one another as the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf gets underway tomorrow.

Soren Kjeldsen, envied for his consistent play and his flashy teammate, Thorbjorn Olesen have arrived at Metropolitan Golf Club with great memories of recording Denmark’s first World Cup victory.

“Obviously we had a great time two years ago; it was really special to be able to win the World Cup. Being the first time Denmark has ever done it makes it that much more special,” said Olesen.

With Kjeldsen adding, “We picked up a few things two years ago, what worked and what didn’t work, mainly what worked. Thorbjorn, he’s a very aggressive player and I play slightly different.  I’m a bit more down the fairway, the middle of the green, and on my good days make a few putts.”

While the Danish team hope to join America and Spain as the only teams to successfully defend the World Cup, they will have some hot competition from the field including Team England and host country; Team Australia.

“We’re probably one of the better teams, because we have a lot of confidence and we’ve proven that we can do it.  So yeah, I would put us up in that top‑5 teams of favourites.  There are a lot of strong teams.  Obviously the Australians, the Americans,” said Olesen, who believes Team Denmark’s edge may lie in their determination.

“I think we’re quite generally really good at fighting.  I know Soren is and I think I am also.  We don’t easily give up and we keep going.  We’re both pretty hard grinders when it comes to practice and stuff, and I think that comes out on the golf course also.”

While Olesen teamed-up with Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter for the Ryder Cup where Europe were triumphant, this time they will go head-to-head as the English duo combine to represent their country.

“Team events are pretty special. It couldn’t happen often enough. I think when you look at the schedule, obviously coming off of a great Ryder Cup team event, when you look at the type of course that we’re playing this week, it’s easy to get very fired up to come and play golf,” said Poulter.

“I’m very much looking forward to putting the England shirt on and obviously getting out there tomorrow, and hopefully the weather’s going to be kind.”

Meanwhile, Team Australia has utilised every piece of home-town knowledge and connections to their advantage.

Victorian amateur David Micheluzzi who finished tied fifth and low amateur at the Emirates Australian Open last week, shared his home course knowledge of Metropolitan Golf Club with Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.

It’s great of him (Micheluzzi) to come out.  Obviously he’s a great player and played very well last week,” said Leishman.

“There’s a few holes that look a lot narrower off the tee than what they actually are and shots into the greens that look very narrow just because of the positioning of bunkers, and then when you get up there they’re really wide.

“He helped us with that, just showing us where’s fine, where’s not fine.  Yeah, it was good of him to come out and hopefully that will pay off at the end of the week.”

With Smith, who is just three years Micheluzzi’s senior, adding; “He kind of kept out of the way, but kind of gave his information.  It was actually quite helpful.

“A couple of those tee shots and hitting them into trees and knowing where to land them, it was pretty good.”

Team Denmark and Team England will tee off at 10.20am tomorrow while Team Australia and Team USA will be on course at 10.35am

Fun will be the key for Team New Zealand at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf as Ryan Fox and Danny Lee reunite to represent their country.

The Kiwi duo first combined at the 2016 staging of the tournament and will team up again at The Metropolitan Golf Club.

Ranked 86^th in the world, Fox was the highest placed New Zealander on the Official World Golf Ranking and selected Lee to partner him – a role reversal on 2016.

“The Sandbelt is world renowned and Metropolitan is a fantastic golf course. The opportunity to represent New Zealand again and play in the World Cup is something very special that I am looking forward to,” Fox said.

“I grew up in a very sporting family and representing New Zealand was the highest honour. Golf doesn’t give you many opportunities to do it, especially at a professional level, so the Olympic Games and the World Cup are really the only two events you get to play for your country.

Fox will be joined by 28-year-old Lee, who is coming off a solo-second result at the Mayakoba Golf Classic after finishing one stroke back of fellow World Cup of Golf competitor Matt Kuchar. Lee, a PGA TOUR winner and member of the 2015 Presidents Cup International Team will bring a bevy of confidence and experience to Team New Zealand.

“It was an easy decision to pick Danny; he is a world-class player competing on the PGA TOUR,” Fox said. “I also wanted to return the favour; he picked me a couple of years ago so it was nice to be in a position to reciprocate. He is a good mate of mine and I am looking forward to catching up with him.”

In 2016 Fox had just completed his first full season on the European Challenge Tour. This year he returns to the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf a much more experienced player having played two full seasons on the European Tour where he is currently 18^th on the Race to Dubai.

“It has been a nice progression the last few years; from the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia to OneAsia then the Challenge Tour and now the European Tour. Everything has been getting a little bit better each year, a bit more consistent and that is what you want to see year in and year out, that there have been improvements,” added Fox.

“The good thing is getting used to competing with the top guys in the world every week in Europe. You get a little taste of that playing on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, especially in the Aussie PGA and Aussie Open, a few of the top guys come down. But you go over to Europe and you have those guys playing most weeks, throw in a couple of majors and World Golf Championships events and you build that experience.

“I have been lucky enough to do that the last couple of years. I now feel more comfortable at that level than I was two years ago playing the World Cup so hopefully that puts me in good stead this year.”

The last time Metropolitan Golf Course hosted a professional golf tournament was the 2012 Australian Masters. Fox and American Kyle Stanley are the only current World Cup players that competed that year.

While Fox has good memories of the course conditions, he didn’t have much success on the layout.

“My lasting memory of the course is how good the conditions were,” Fox said. “I missed the cut there unfortunately but I actually played with the eventual winner Nick Cullen in the first couple of rounds. So I have at least half an idea on how to play it after watching him.”

Armed with that knowledge, Fox believes that he and Lee will have a better idea on how to combine as a team their second time around.

“We can learn a little bit from last time. In the four-ball, I think I played the course a little bit too aggressively. Sandbelt courses are ones you can’t take on all the time. Often having two balls in play is more important than one guy taking an aggressive line or the wrong club off the tee and potentially having one ball out of play and putting the other guy under added pressure.

“Having played foursomes together we know each other’s games and know what tee shots work for each other. So hopefully we can develop a pretty good strategy to play Metro, correctly select what holes we tee off on and have a little bit of fun, you need that in foursomes, it’s a tough format to play.

Fox, who is renowned for his power and length off the tee, has noticed plenty of differences and consistencies between his game and Lee’s. “I think we play a very different style of game. Danny is very, very consistent and very straight off the tee. I think we are similar in the way we both like to play aggressively and take on flags; I think that is a good thing.

“But in the way we do it, Danny hits it point-to-point where as I probably hit it a little more crooked but a little farther sometimes. Hopefully we complement each other well as a team and have a bit of fun.

“Danny has a great sense of humour and we get along well on and off the golf course and I think that is more important than how our golf games gel together.”

The ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf will be played at The Metropolitan Golf Club from 22-25 November.

Korean duo Byeong Hun An and Si Woo Kim are ready to showcase their formidable partnership and cement their country’s reputation as one of Asia’s powerhouse in golf when the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf tees off next week.

Top-ranked An, who will be making his second straight appearance in the World Cup of Golf, is relishing the prospects of being part of the first Korean team to lift the trophy when he pairs up with debutant Kim at The Metropolitan Golf Club.

With an average age of 25, An and Kim might be the youngest Asian pair in the field but they have showcased immense talents on the world stage over the past few years and established themselves as the rising stars of the game from the land of the morning calm.

Born to mother Jiao Zhimin and father Ahn Jae-hyung, who are both Olympic table-tennis medallists, An stole the limelight when he won his first title at the BMW PGA Championship and became the first Asian to be named Rookie of the Year on the European Tour in 2015.

“Si Woo and I often play practice rounds together on the PGA Tour. We get along really well. I thought it made sense to pick him as he’s the next highest ranked player from Korea,” said An, who also became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur at the age of 17 in 2009.

Like An, the 23-year-old Kim boasts an illustrious career where he has claimed two victories on the PGA Tour and one on the Web.com Tour since turning joining the play-for-pay ranks in 2012.

Kim served notice of his talents at the 2012 PGA Tour Qualifying School when he became the youngest player, at the age of 17 years and five months, to make the grade.

However, due to PGA Tour rules, he could only become a member after he turned 18, midway through the 2013 season.

“Ben (An) and I are really good friends. We always joke around. I am just hoping to have fun that week. I am not playing for myself. I am playing for Team Korea so I hope to do my country proud by playing well. I feel proud to be able to represent my country in the event,” said Kim.

“It definitely gives me more pride and motivation to play well. Ben is a really good player. He hits it far. His short game is very good too. I think we will be a good match. I think we will put up a good teamwork that week,” he added.

Kim came agonizingly close to clinching his third PGA Tour title at the RBC Heritage in April where he was defeated by Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira on the third extra hole.

Team Korea will be one of the 28 teams vying for top honours at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf, which is celebrating its 59^th edition from 22-25 November.

The ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf is one of five tournaments that are co-sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours, joining the four events in the World Golf Championships series as tournaments which the Federation oversees. The International Federation of PGA Tours is an organization made up of all Tours from across the globe including the PGA TOUR, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, the PGA of Australia, the Asian Tour, South African Tour and more.

Tickets are now on sale and ticket options range from Wednesday practice round tickets starting at $16.00, single-day competitive round tickets starting at $24.00 and tickets to the upgraded MacKenzie Club (Thurs-Sun) starting at $80.00. Weekly tickets are also available for $96, with a MacKenzie Club option priced at $295. Fans are encouraged to secure their tickets early in order to save.

Ticket buyers are reminded that youth under the age of 16 are admitted to the event free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult. To purchase tickets or find more information on ticket options, fans can log on to www.WorldCupofGolf.com.

For more information about the 2018 ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf, please visit WorldCupofGolf.com.

American Matt Kuchar will arrive in Australia ahead of next week’s ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf with a spring in his step and a trophy under his arm after notching his eighth PGA TOUR victory.

Kuchar, who turned 40 in June, withheld a strong challenge from World Cup-bound New Zealander Danny Lee to win the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico by one shot for his first win on the PGA TOUR since 2014.  

Kuchar won with a score of 22-under 262, the lowest 72-hole score in tournament history.

Canada’s Adam Hadwin, India’s Anirban Lahiri and Korea’s Si Woo Kim all recorded top-10 finishes ahead of their trip to Melbourne to lead their respective nations in the unique World Cup team format.

Kuchar will arrive in Sydney for the Australian Open at The Lakes and will then head to Melbourne’s Metropolitan Golf Club for the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf which commences Thursday week .

“For two weeks to get to play a national championship, the Australian Open, is something I’m very, very excited to do,” Kuchar said after this win.

“And then World Cup’s a great event.  I am really excited, back to a fun format.  I’m partnering with Kyle Stanley.  I was able to win a few years back with Gary Woodland.  To think of the great history that the World Cup has, the likes of Arnold and Jack have paired up and won it, Tiger and Duval have won it, Davis Love and Fred Couples have won numerous times.  It’s rich with history and one I’m really excited about playing both those events.”

“It’s a wonderful country with great people.  They love their golf, love their sport.  Golf is fantastic.  They’re always very supportive.”

Starting the final round with a four-shot lead, and with a car waiting at the clubhouse to whisk him to the airport for the long journey to Sydney for this week’s Australian Open, Kuchar survived back-to-back bogeys on the back nine and two nervy three footers for par on 17 and 18 to win by a shot.

“I didn’t want a 3-footer on the last hole,” Kuchar said. “I was hoping to have a three or four-shot lead for some wiggle room. But man, that felt awfully good,” Kuchar said.

“That was some of the best ball-striking I’ve had, and through 60 some holes, awfully good putting. And then the putter kind of went a little bit on the fritz there coming in. It’s been a long time for me. It feels extra sweet right now.”

It was the popular American’s eighth tour win and comes off the back of four top-10 finishes in 2018.  Kuchar only added a start this week to his schedule at the last minute and needed a local caddy to fill in for regular bagman John Wood who was already en route to Australia.

Kuchar is travelling to Australia with his wife Sybi and two sons, who all rushed to the 18th green to congratulate him on his victory.

“It nearly brought some tears to my eyes having the family here to see that on 18.  To have them there for support is – they’ve been such a big part of my life, and this past year, ’18 was tough for me getting knocked out early in the Playoffs and not be selected to the Ryder Cup, there were some pretty big disappointments.  And having my wife as strong as she is and as great as she is, she’s cheering me on, having the boys keep cheering me on, it’s a special support system.  I owe them a ton of gratitude.”

The 59th staging of the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf will see the 56-players representing 28 nations in the two-man team competition vie for the largest prize-money purse in Australian golf, with $US7 million on offer. The 72-hole stroke play team format will feature Four-ball (best ball) play in the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) play in the second and final rounds. 

Australia’s Marc Leishman, fresh from his fourth PGA TOUR win at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, will be the top ranked player in the tournament. Leishman will have rising young Queensland star Cameron Smith alongside as the Australians seek to win the coveted trophy for the first time since Adam Scott and Jason Day prevailed at Royal Melbourne in 2013.

Australia will be up against a strong field of international players, including two-time PGA TOUR winner Kyle Stanley, who selected Kuchar as his partner for Team USA. England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter will also be amongst the favourites as will the winning duo from Denmark who will return to defend their title, with Ryder Cup debutant Thorbjørn Olesen to again partner with Soren Kjeldsen. 

South Africa will have a strong hand, with eight-time European Tour winner Branden Grace and fellow Presidents Cup veteran and 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel making their second start in the World Cup of Golf.

Other notables include two-time major champion and former world No. 1 Martin Kaymer as well as World Golf Championships winner Shane Lowry who will be joined by Maximilian Kieffer and Paul Dunne as their respective partners for Team Germany and Team Ireland. 

Leishman and Grace are among eight players who have played on past International Teams at the Presidents Cup. Kim, Schwartzel, Lahiri, Lee, Hadwin and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas round out that list.

Ticket options range from Wednesday practice round tickets starting at $27.00, single-day competitive round tickets starting at $36.00 and tickets to the upgraded MacKenzie Club (Thursday to Sunday) starting at $90.00. Weekly tickets are also available for $125, with a MacKenzie Club option priced at $300. 

Ticket buyers are reminded that youth under the age of 16 are admitted to the event free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult. To purchase tickets or find more information on ticket options, fans can log on to www.WorldCupofGolf.com.

Haotong Li and Ashun Wu are back for Team China, and so are the celebrations.

In 2016, the Chinese combo produced a wonderful run at Kingston Heath, which included celebratory chest bumps, matching attire and long birdie putts, where they challenged for the tournament before ultimately finishing tied second behind Denmark.

“We’ll have a strong team this year,” Li said. “Hopefully we’ll have a good week down there.”

“I’m very happy to play with Haotong again,” Wu added.

The duo fought superbly during the final-day four-ball session, carding an impressive 7-under par 65, at one point getting to within two shots of the lead. The runner-up result secured their country’s best finish in the World Cup of Golf, which sets the bar high ahead of the duo’s return to the Melbourne Sandbelt.

“We still have a lot of chances to win this trophy, so I’m looking forward to it,” Li said. “This will certainly help the game in China. We have a big future.”

“My partner is a great player,” Wu said. “We’ll keep in touch, keep practicing hard and I know we can do better next time. Chinese players can win this tournament.”

Two years later, two of Asia’s biggest stars will have their shot at redemption against the other top countries at The Metropolitan Golf Club, November 21-25.

“I think we have a good chance. Haotong is feeling good right now and I’m feeling good right now, too,” Wu added.

Both players have won on the European Tour this year, with Li winning the Omega Dubai Desert Classic after beating Rory McIlroy in a head-to-head battle in the final round. Wu saw victory in the KLM Open for his third European Tour career victory.

For a nation that has truly embraced the sport of golf, their hopes at one day hoisting the prestigious World Cup of Golf trophy rests in the fate of two of their rising stars.

To bring everything full circle, China first hosted the World Cup of Golf at Mission Hills in 1995, and thereby introduced the game of professional golf into the world’s largest country.

As golf’s popularity has continued to grow since the World Cup’s first visit over 20 years ago, Li has quickly emerged as one of China’s most decorated golfers.

“When I first started playing golf, I didn’t think I can get in the World Cup one day, so it’s kind of a dream come true,” Li said.

After turning professional seven years ago, the 23-year-old from Hunan completed his inaugural PGA TOUR China Series season with a flourish, winning his final two events, capturing the 2014 Order of Merit title and earning Player of the Year honors.

In 2016, Li represented China when golf returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 in the Rio Olympic Games, where he was joined by Wu.

Following his victory this year at the Emirates Golf Club, he become the first Chinese player to break into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He’d go on to become the first professional from China to make the cut at the Masters Tournament in April.

However, Li, alongside partner Wu, hope to add a World Cup of Golf title to their long list of successes.

“If we win, it’s going to be a huge win for China,” Li said.