
The world of golf is coming to Melbourne and fans will be able to catch the action as tournament officials have announced that Nine Australia will broadcast the 59th edition of the Melbourne World Cup of Golf at The Metropolitan Golf Club on 21-25, November 2018.
The PGA TOUR and Nine agreed on the one-year deal with the World Cup of Golf when International team golf returns to the famed Melbourne Sandbelt where 28 two-man teams comprised of the top players in the world will represent their countries as they compete for national pride, glory and the title of World Cup champions.
Tom Malone, Nine’s Director of Sport said, “Nine and Wide World of Sports are delighted to be partnering with the PGA TOUR to broadcast this terrific event. With the world’s best players competing for their country and against each other in a thrilling format, the World Cup of Golf will be the focus of the sporting world in late November.”
The tournament attracts the best players from around the globe to compete on the world’s most prestigious courses. In its illustrious 64-year history, the event has been played 58 times in 25 countries and boasts an unparalleled list of winners that includes 17 World Golf Hall of Fame members. This will be the 59th staging of this event, which has seen players from 16 different countries lift the prestigious trophy.
The agreement provides Nine with live broadcast rights (and replays) with five hours of competition broadcast each day as well as a one-hour highlights program for use on Nine TV, digital, and/or any video on demand platforms. The TOUR will also provide other video clips and features as part of an overall partnership with Nine.
“The Melbourne World Cup of Golf is one of the most unique and historic events in golf with a truly global field. As a team event where teammates represent their countries, there is compelling competition between nations and team patriotism,” said Robyn Cooper, Executive Director of the World Cup of Golf. “We are thrilled that Nine will be our domestic partner to help capture the exciting competition on the course while bringing the stories of our global and diverse competitors to life.”
At the World Cup of Golf, fans will see a truly unique event to the sport built on the ideas of its founder, Jon Jay Hopkins, who in 1953 began the event with the goal of promoting international good will through the game.
And with only two representatives from each country in the World Cup of Golf, there’s a different level of pride and responsibility shared among teammates. The camaraderie and emotion are on full display as teams don their country’s colours.
Very few professional golfers get to embrace the opportunity to compete for their country while joining a collection of golf’s biggest names who have made their mark on the World Cup of Golf. Australia’s own Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle were winners in 1954. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer won four titles. Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els have all been winners. As have Adam Scott and Jason Day who won at Royal Melbourne in 2013.
The 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.
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.
About the Melbourne World Cup of Golf
The 2018 Melbourne World Cup of Golf is a 72-hole, two-man team format, and affords the opportunity for the top players in the game to represent their countries on an international stage. The first and third days of competition are four-ball (best ball) format and the second and final days are foursomes (alternate shot) play. The 2018 event marks the sixth time in the tournament’s history that it has been played in Australia and the third consecutive in the Melbourne Sandbelt region.
Widely regarded as one of the finest championship courses in Australia, The Metropolitan Golf Club consistently enjoys a reputation as one of the best-conditioned and most beautiful courses in the country. “Metro” has a rich tournament history including seven Men’s Australian Opens, five Australian PGA Championships, one Women’s Australian Open, one Australian Masters and the 2001 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. The 2018 event is set to be contested November 21-25, 2018.