For the first time in almost 25 years Australia has a realistic chance of winning golf’s ISPS HANDA World Cup.
Adam Scott – fresh from becoming the first golfer to win The Don award for sporting excellence -will team with Jason Day to take on the rest of the world at Royal Melbourne next month.
Australia has won four World Cups but has not been successful since Wayne Grady and Peter Fowler triumphed at Marbella, Spain in 1989.
World No.2 Scott will play in all four big events over this Australian summer and apart from the ISPS HANDA World Cup will line up in the Australian PGA presented by Coca-Cola (Nov 7-10), Talisker Masters (Nov 14-17) and Emirates Australian Open (Nov 28-Dec 1).
It was recently officially confirmed that world No.16 Day, who has also committed to the Emirates Australian Open, will join Scott in a ‘super team’ which will be high on the list of favourites with local knowledge and hometown support.
There is prizemoney of $A8.6million on offer for the Cup, from November 21-24, making it the richest golf tournament ever staged in Australia.
"I am going to enjoy Australia so much,” Scott said. "I am playing a golf event every week I am home so it will probably be a four-week tour of the green jacket.
"It’s going to be busy but I am going to enjoy it all. It is the one time in my life this can happen so it’s going to be great."
Day, who was runner up at the US Open and third at Augusta behind winner Scott is equally as excited to be getting back to represent his homeland.
"I am excited at the prospect of representing my country and playing with Scotty at Royal Melbourne,” Day said. "The atmosphere should be awesome and, together, I think we should have a great chance at winning with all the local support.
"I can’t wait to get back and hopefully play some of my best golf.”
With the Masters also on the Royal Melbourne layout, Scott will play the famous course in back-to-back weeks.
"Sounds nice doesn’t it?” he said. "That is what we need to do down there is showcase our great courses. I think it’s nice to see the guys around the world appreciate our good courses and hopefully come out more.”
Scott’s achievement in becoming the first Australian to win the US Masters, ending a 77-year drought, earned him The Don award ahead of the country’s most illustrious sportsmen and women.
The performance was unanimously voted by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) selection committee as the 2013 winner of The Don award, which celebrates the athlete whose achievements have most inspired the nation in the preceding 12 months.
"I am humbled and honoured to have won this award and join many great champions before me," Scott said.
"I’d like to congratulate the other finalists on their achievements this year and I’d like to thank the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for this honour."
By: Robert Grant