By Paul Myers
There is not a lot of team golf that is played at the highest level of the game, with the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup being notable exceptions. Therefore, anytime some of the world’s best players get together to play in a team format, golf fans all around the world are treated to something they don’t get to see often enough. Such was the case when the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf was recently contested at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia.
A First for Denmark
Some of the best players in the game were on hand to play in a two-man team format, and in the end it was Team Denmark, represented by Soren Kjeldsen and Thorbjorn Olesen, taking home the trophy. While they were challenged at various times throughout the final round, Kjeldsen and Olesen wound up winning by a comfortable margin of four shots after a last round 66. Three teams – France, China, and the U.S. – tied for second place with a total of sixteen-under-par.
The Return of Tiger
As the world of golf heads into a relatively quiet time of the year – the month of December – there is one story developing that won’t be quiet at all – the return of Tiger Woods to competition. More than a year removed from his last competitive event, Woods will tee it up at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. While this is a field that is limited to just 18 players, those 18 are among the very best in the world. It is safe to say that the entire golf world will be tuned in to see what kind of game Woods brings with him in this long-awaited return to the competitive stage.
It would be easy to assume that the days of Tiger Woods winning several golf tournaments in a year are well in the past, but that might be a mistake. After all, this is one of the greatest players in the history of golf, and given good health he is likely to play at a very high level. Woods took home five PGA Tour titles just three years ago, so he is not far removed from playing elite golf against the best players in the world. No one can confidently predict how his body will hold up as Tiger plays in more and more competitions, but it would be premature to write off someone with the rare talent and mental strength of Tiger Woods.
Holiday Break
After the Hero World Challenge is completed, there won’t be much left on the professional golf calendar until the page is turned to 2017. The Franklin Templeton Shootout is another team event which will be played from December 8-10, but that will be about it until the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in Maui gets things going in January.