THE cream of the world’s best golfers including Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy are expected to play in Australia at the end of the year after it was announced that Royal Melbourne Golf Club will host the $8 million World Cup of Golf in November.

As we reported in the May issue of Golf Australia, the World Cup will be played the week after the Australian Masters, which is also being contested at Royal Melbourne, and will lead into the Australian Open at Royal Sydney Golf Club.

The US team of Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar won the World Cup when it was last played in 2011 in China. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Organisers believe most of the world’s top-20 golfers will tee up in the biennial Cup to be played from November 21 to 24. One of the star attractions will be US Masters champion Scott, who will defend his Australian Masters title and is likely to team with either Jason Day, Geoff Ogilvy or Marc Leishman in the World Cup.

Masters champion Adam Scott will be a huige attraction for the World Cup. PHOTO: MATTHEW HARRIS/TGPL

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has said he hopes to team up with McIlory for the tournament, which is offering the biggest purse ever played for in the history of Australian professional golf.

As part of the move, the event returns to an individual, stroke-play competition for $7 million, with a team component (adding the total scores of two-man teams) for $1 million. The qualification system for the event is similar to that which will be used in the Olympic Games, when golf returns to the program in 2016.

The field will include 60 players (no cut), with eligibility taken from the Official World Golf Ranking. Up to four players can qualify, per country, if they are in the top 15 of the ranking. Beyond No.15, up to a maximum of two players per country can qualify. If two or more players from a country qualify, then the country is eligible for team competition, with the top-two players comprising the qualified team.

The World Cup has been played three previous times in Australia, each at Royal Melbourne. The event was last played in Australia in 1988 as part of the bicentennial celebrations when the US team of Ben Crenshaw and Mark McCumber defeated the Japanese team of Masashi (Jumbo) and Tateo Ozaki to win the tournament.

“We’re thrilled that the World Cup will return to Australia, bringing this historic event to a venue, city and country that have hosted the biggest and best international sporting events for many years,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours. “The Presidents Cup 2011 was the best in event history, thanks in no small part to the welcome provided to us by the incredible Australian sports fans, the Victorian government and the Victorian Major Events Company.

“With all of those ingredients still in place, and added to them Adam Scott’s win at the Masters Tournament in April, there is tremendous momentum and excitement for the World Cup 2013.”

Royal Melbourne will host the Australian Masters and the World Cup in consectuive weeks. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

PGA of Australia CEO Brian Thorburn said: “This is a great day for golf and a great day for Australia. The addition of the World Cup will complement an already strong swing of tournaments including the Australian PGA, Open and Masters and will significantly boost the international player prospects for these events.”

The World Cup is the fifth worldwide event sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours, joining the four World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship (Arizona, USA); Cadillac Championship (Florida, USA); Bridgestone Invitational (Ohio, USA); HSBC Champions (Shanghai, China).