The World Cup of Golf is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the first choice players choose to compete. The equivalent event for women was the Women's World Cup of Golf, played from 2005 to 2008.

History

The tournament was founded by industrialist John Jay Hopkins, who hoped it would promote international goodwill through golf. It began in 1953 as the Canada Cup and changed its name to the World Cup in 1967. With Fred Corcoran as the Tournament Director and the International Golf Association behind it (1955–1977), the World Cup traveled the globe and grew to be one of golf's most prestigious tournaments throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but interest in the event faded to the point that the event was not held in 1981 or 1986.

The tournament was incorporated into the World Golf Championships series from 2000 to 2006. In 2007 it ceased to be a World Golf Championships event, but continued to be sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours.

From 2007 through 2009 the tournament was held at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, receiving the name Mission Hills World Cup. There was no tournament in 2010, it having been announced that the event would change from annual to biennial, held in odd-numbered years, to accommodate the 2016 inclusion of golf at the Olympics. The 2011 tournament was at a new venue — Mission Hills Haikou in the Chinese island province of Hainan.

The United States has a clear lead in wins, with 24 as of 2018.

Format

In 1953, the format was 36 holes of stroke play with the combined score of the two-man team determining the winner. From 1954 to 1999, the format was 72 holes of stroke play. Beginning in 2000, the format became alternating stroke play rounds of bestball (fourball) and alternate shot (foursomes).

The 2013 tournament was primarily an individual event with a team component. The 60-player field was selected based on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) with up to two players per country allowed to qualify (four per country if they are within the top 15 of the OWGR). The format returned to 72 holes of stroke play, with the individuals competing for US$7 million of the $8 million total purse. OWGR points were awarded for the first time. The top two-ranked players from each country competed for the team portion, using combined stroke play scores. The individual portion was similar to what would be used at the 2016 Summer Olympics, except that England, Scotland, and Wales had teams instead of a single Great Britain team as in the Olympics, while Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland again played as a single team.

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|2011||||Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland || Haikou, Hainan Island, China|| – Ian Poulter and Justin Rose<br/> – Martin Kaymer and Alex Čejka

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|2010 || colspan="4" align=center|No tournament

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|2009||||Edoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari || Shenzhen, China || – Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson<br/><sup>1</sup> – Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell

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|2008||||Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson||Shenzhen, China|| – Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Pablo Larrazábal

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|2007||||Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren||Shenzhen, China|| – Heath Slocum and Boo Weekley

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!colspan=5|WGC-World Cup

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|2006||||Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem ||Sandy Lane Resort, Barbados|| – Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren

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|2005||||Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge||Algarve, Portugal|| – Luke Donald and David Howell<br> – Niclas Fasth and Henrik Stenson

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|2004||||Paul Casey and Luke Donald||Seville, Spain|| – Sergio García and Miguel Ángel Jiménez

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|2003||||Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini||Kiawah Island, South Carolina, United States|| – Paul Casey and Justin Rose

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|2002||||Toshimitsu Izawa and Shigeki Maruyama||Puerto Vallarta, Mexico|| – Phil Mickelson and David Toms

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|2001||||Ernie Els and Retief Goosen||Gotemba, Shizuoka|| – Thomas Bjørn and Søren Hansen<br> – Michael Campbell and David Smail<br> – David Duval and Tiger Woods

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|2000||||David Duval and Tiger Woods||Buenos Aires, Argentina|| – Eduardo Romero and Ángel Cabrera

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!colspan=5|World Cup of Golf

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|1999||||Mark O'Meara and Tiger Woods||Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia|| – Santiago Luna and Miguel Ángel Martín

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|1998||||David Carter and Nick Faldo||Auckland, New Zealand|| – Massimo Florioli and Costantino Rocca

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|1997||||Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley||Kiawah Island, South Carolina, United States|| – Colin Montgomerie and Raymond Russell

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|1996||||Ernie Els and Wayne Westner||Cape Town, South Africa|| – Steve Jones and Tom Lehman

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|1995||||Fred Couples and Davis Love III||Shenzhen, China|| – Robert Allenby and Steve Elkington

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|1994||||Fred Couples and Davis Love III||Dorado, Puerto Rico|| – Tony Johnstone and Mark McNulty

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|1993||||Fred Couples and Davis Love III||Orlando, Florida, United States|| – Mark McNulty and Nick Price

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!colspan=5|World Cup

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|1992||||Fred Couples and Davis Love III||Madrid, Spain|| – Anders Forsbrand and Per-Ulrik Johansson

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|1991||||Anders Forsbrand and Per-Ulrik Johansson||Rome, Italy|| – Phillip Price and Ian Woosnam

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|1990||||Torsten Giedeon and Bernhard Langer||Orlando, Florida, United States|| – Richard Boxall and Mark James<br><sup>1</sup> – David Feherty and Ronan Rafferty

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|1989||||Peter Fowler and Wayne Grady||Marbella, Spain|| – José María Cañizares and José María Olazábal

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|1988||||Ben Crenshaw and Mark McCumber||Melbourne, Australia|| – Masashi Ozaki and Tateo Ozaki

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|1987||||David Llewellyn and Ian Woosnam||Maui, Hawaii, United States|| – Sandy Lyle and Sam Torrance

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|1986||colspan=4 align=center|No tournament

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|1985||||Dave Barr and Dan Halldorson||La Quinta, California, United States|| – Howard Clark and Paul Way

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|1984||||José María Cañizares and José Rivero||Rome, Italy|| – Gordon Brand Jnr and Sam Torrance<br> – Hsieh Min-Nan and Chen Tze-chung

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|1983||||Rex Caldwell and John Cook||Jakarta, Indonesia|| – Terry Gale and Wayne Grady<br> – Jerry Anderson and Dave Barr

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|1982||||José María Cañizares and Manuel Piñero||Acapulco, Mexico|| – Bobby Clampett and Bob Gilder

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|1981||colspan=4 align=center|No tournament

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|1980||||Dan Halldorson and Jim Nelford||Bogotá, Colombia|| – Sandy Lyle and Steve Martin

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|1979||||Hale Irwin and John Mahaffey||Athens, Greece|| – Sandy Lyle and Ken Brown

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|1978||||John Mahaffey and Andy North||Hanalei, Hawaii, United States|| – Wayne Grady and Greg Norman

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|1977||||Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido||Manila, Philippines|| – Ben Arda and Rudy Lavares

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|1976||||Seve Ballesteros and Manuel Piñero||Palm Springs, California, United States|| – Jerry Pate and Dave Stockton

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|1975||||Lou Graham and Johnny Miller||Bangkok, Thailand|| – Hsieh Min-Nan and Kuo Chie-Hsiung

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|1974||||Bobby Cole and Dale Hayes||Caracas, Venezuela|| – Isao Aoki and Masashi Ozaki

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|1973||||Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus||Marbella, Spain|| – Hugh Baiocchi and Gary Player

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|1972||||Hsieh Min-Nan and Lu Liang-Huan||Melbourne, Australia|| – Takaaki Kono and Takashi Murakami

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|1971||||Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino||Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States|| – Harold Henning and Gary Player

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|1970||||Bruce Devlin and David Graham||Buenos Aires, Argentina|| – Roberto De Vicenzo and Vicente Fernández

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|1969||||Orville Moody and Lee Trevino||Singapore|| – Takaaki Kono and Haruo Yasuda

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|1968||||Al Balding and George Knudson||Rome, Italy|| – Julius Boros and Lee Trevino

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|1967||||Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer||Mexico City, Mexico|| – Bob Charles and Walter Godfrey

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!colspan=5|Canada Cup

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|1966||||Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer||Tokyo, Japan|| – Harold Henning and Gary Player

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|1965||||Harold Henning and Gary Player||Madrid, Spain|| – Ángel Miguel and Ramón Sota

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|1964||||Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer||Maui, Hawaii, United States|| – Roberto De Vicenzo and Leopoldo Ruiz

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|1963||||Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer||Paris, France|| – Sebastián Miguel and Ramón Sota

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|1962||||Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead||Buenos Aires, Argentina|| – Fidel de Luca and Roberto De Vicenzo

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|1961||||Jimmy Demaret and Sam Snead||Dorado, Puerto Rico|| – Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson

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|1960||||Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead||Portmarnock, Dublin, Ireland|| – Bernard Hunt and Harry Weetman

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|1959||||Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson||Melbourne, Australia|| – Cary Middlecoff and Sam Snead

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|1958||||Harry Bradshaw and Christy O'Connor Snr||Mexico City, Mexico|| – Ángel Miguel and Sebastián Miguel

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|1957||||Torakichi Nakamura and Koichi Ono||Tokyo, Japan|| – Jimmy Demaret and Sam Snead

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|1956||||Ben Hogan and Sam Snead||Wentworth, Surrey, England|| – Bobby Locke and Gary Player

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|1955||||Ed Furgol and Chick Harbert||Washington, D.C., United States|| – Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson

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|1954||||Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson||Montreal, Canada|| – Antonio Cerdá and Roberto De Vicenzo

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|1953||||Antonio Cerdá and Roberto De Vicenzo||Montreal, Canada|| – Bill Kerr and Stan Leonard

|}

<sup>1</sup>This was a combined Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland team. They competed under the Republic of Ireland flag although both golfers were from Northern Ireland.

Performance by nation

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

!Team

!style="background:#FFD700;"|Champions

!style="background:#C0C0C0;"|Runners-up

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|24

|11

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|5

|6

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|5

|4

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|4

|7

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|3

|2

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|2

|6

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|2

|4

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|2

|3

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|2

|2

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|2

|1

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|2

|1

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|1

|6

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|1

|5

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|1

|2

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|1

|1

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|1

|1

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|1

|0

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|0

|2

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|0

|2

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|0

|1

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|0

|1

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|0

|1

|-

|style="text-align:left"|

|0

|1

|}

Individual winners

{| class=wikitable style="font-size:95%"

!Year!!Winner!!Country!!Score!!To par!!Margin of<br>victory!!Runner(s)-up

|-

| align=center colspan=7|2016–2018: No individual tournament

|-

|2013||Jason Day || || align=center|274 || align=center|−10 || 2 strokes || Thomas Bjørn

|-

| align=center colspan=7|2000–2011: No individual tournament

|-

|1999||Tiger Woods || || align=center|263 || align=center|−21 || 9 strokes || Frank Nobilo

|-

|1998||Scott Verplank || || align=center|279 || align=center|−9 || 1 stroke || Nick Faldo<br> Costantino Rocca

|-

|1997||Colin Montgomerie || || align=center|266 || align=center|−22 || 2 strokes || Alex Čejka

|-

|1996||Ernie Els || || align=center|272 || align=center|−16 || 3 strokes || Wayne Westner

|-

|1995||Davis Love III || || align=center|267 || align=center|−21 || Playoff || Hisayuki Sasaki

|-

|1994||Fred Couples || || align=center|265 || align=center|−23 || 5 strokes || Costantino Rocca

|-

|1993||Bernhard Langer || || align=center|272 || align=center|−16 || 3 strokes || Fred Couples

|-

|1992||Brett Ogle || || align=center|270 || align=center|−18 || Playoff || Ian Woosnam

|-

|1991||Ian Woosnam || || align=center|273 || align=center|−15 || 3 strokes || Bernhard Langer

|-

|1990||Payne Stewart || || align=center|271 || align=center|−17 || 2 strokes || Anders Sørensen

|-

|1989||Peter Fowler || || align=center|137 || align=center|−7 || 1 stroke || José María Cañizares<br> Anders Sørensen

|-

|1988||Ben Crenshaw || || align=center|275 || align=center|−13 || 1 stroke || Tateo Ozaki

|-

|1987||Ian Woosnam || || align=center|274 || align=center|−14 || 5 strokes || Sandy Lyle

|-

| colspan=7|1986: No tournament

|-

|1985||Howard Clark || || align=center|272 || align=center|−16 || 5 strokes || Christy O'Connor Jnr

|-

|1984||José María Cañizares || || align=center|205 || align=center|−11 || 2 strokes || Gordon Brand Jnr

|-

|1983||Dave Barr || || align=center|276 || align=center|−12 || 3 strokes || Rex Caldwell

|-

|1982||Manuel Piñero || || align=center|281 || align=center|−3 || 1 stroke || José María Cañizares<br> Bob Gilder

|-

| colspan=7|1981: No tournament

|-

|1980||Sandy Lyle || || align=center|282 || align=center|−6 || 1 stroke || Bernhard Langer

|-

|1979||Hale Irwin || || align=center|285 || align=center|−3 || 2 strokes || Bernhard Langer<br> Sandy Lyle

|-

|1978||John Mahaffey || || align=center|281 || align=center|−7 || 2 strokes || Andy North

|-

|1977||Gary Player || || align=center|289 || align=center|+1 || 3 strokes || Hubert Green<br> Rudy Lavares

|-

|1976||Ernesto Perez Acosta || || align=center|282 || align=center|−6 || 3 strokes || Brian Barnes<br> Manuel Piñero

|-

|1975||Johnny Miller || || align=center|275 || align=center|−13 || 2 strokes || Ben Arda<br> Hsieh Min-Nan<br> Bob Shearer

|-

|1974||Bobby Cole || || align=center|271 || align=center|−9 || 5 strokes || Masashi Ozaki

|-

|1973||Johnny Miller || || align=center|277 || align=center|−11 || 3 strokes || Gary Player

|-

|1972||Hsieh Min-Nan || || align=center|217 || align=center|+1 || 2 strokes || Takaaki Kono

|-

|1971||Jack Nicklaus || || align=center|271 || align=center|−17 || 7 strokes || Gary Player

|-

|1970||Roberto De Vicenzo || || align=center|269 || align=center|−19 || 1 stroke || David Graham

|-

|1969||Lee Trevino || || align=center|275 || align=center|−9 || 1 stroke || Roberto De Vicenzo

|-

|1968||Al Balding || || align=center|274 || align=center|−14 || 5 strokes || Roberto Bernardini

|-

|1967||Arnold Palmer || || align=center|276 || align=center|−12 || 5 strokes || Bob Charles<br> Jack Nicklaus

|-

|1966||George Knudson || || align=center|272 || align=center|−16 || Playoff || Hideyo Sugimoto

|-

|1965||Gary Player || || align=center|281 || align=center|−7 || 3 strokes || Jack Nicklaus

|-

|1964||Jack Nicklaus || || align=center|276 || align=center|−12 || 2 strokes || Arnold Palmer

|-

|1963||Jack Nicklaus || || align=center|237 || align=center|−15 || 5 strokes || Sebastián Miguel<br> Gary Player

|-

|1962||Roberto De Vicenzo || || align=center|276 || align=center|−4 || 2 strokes || Peter Alliss<br> Arnold Palmer

|-

|1961||Sam Snead || || align=center|272 || align=center|−16 || 8 strokes || Peter Thomson

|-

|1960||Flory Van Donck || || align=center|279 || align=center|−9 || 2 strokes || Sam Snead

|-

|1959||Stan Leonard || || align=center|275 || align=center|−5 || Playoff || Peter Thomson

|-

|1958||Ángel Miguel || || align=center|286 || align=center|−2 || Playoff || Harry Bradshaw

|-

|1957||Torakichi Nakamura || || align=center|274 || align=center|−14 || 7 strokes || Gary Player<br> Sam Snead<br> Dave Thomas

|-

|1956||Ben Hogan || || align=center|277 || align=center|−7 || 5 strokes || Roberto De Vicenzo

|-

|1955||Ed Furgol || || align=center|279 || align=center|−1 || Playoff || Peter Thomson<br> Flory Van Donck

|-

| align=center colspan=7|1953–54: No individual award

|}

Multiple winners

thumb|right|200px|[[Seve Ballesteros won the title twice as part of the Spanish team.]]

Teammates

  • 4 times: Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Fred Couples and Davis Love III
  • 2 times: Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead

As part of team

  • 6 times: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer
  • 4 times: Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Sam Snead
  • 2 times: Seve Ballesteros, José María Cañizares, Ernie Els, Dan Halldorson, Bernhard Langer, John Mahaffey, Johnny Miller, Kel Nagle, Manuel Piñero, Peter Thomson, Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods

As individual (International Trophy)

  • 3 times: Jack Nicklaus
  • 2 times: Roberto De Vicenzo, Johnny Miller, Gary Player, Ian Woosnam

References