Three lucky Australians will tee it up this week (Wednesday to Friday) at the BMW Golf Cup World Final held at the magnificent Fancourt Golf Resort in George, South Africa.

Advancing through local finals, the successful at the Australian national final, Ross Porfida, Lincoln Stanley and Gina Duckers will hope to become the first Australians to win the individual crowns, and to hopefully combine and claim the teams event for the first time in the event that has welcomed nations since 1995.

Played over three days of stableford competition, in two men’s flights and one women’s for individual honours, the three scores combine for the National Team Prize, all of the awards to be presented by nine-time major winner Gary Player in person at Fancourt at Friday night’s Gala Dinner.

Hailing from Concord Golf Club in Sydney, Porfida is the low marker of the Australian contingent playing off a handicap of six, while Sandy Golf Links’ Stanley will play off 12 and Duckers, also from Sydney, will get 28 shots.

“It’s awesome” was the enthused response of both Porfida and Stanley as they prepared for the opening morning’s play, with all three rounds to take place on the highly rated Montagu course at Fancourt, which also contains the Outeniqua and The Links layout.

Still wide eyed after encountering four of the Big Five animals at nearby Botlierskop Game Reserve the night before the opening tee shots were struck, the Australian team are basking in the opportunity to represent their country at an event Australia has hosted on three previous occasions.

Contested by 31 nations, the BMW Golf Cup has its origins in 1982 when an invitational tournament was held in England, with the event growing in 1992 when a World Final was held in Germany, the auto manufacturers home country.

Beyond the three rounds of golf setup in the mode of a professional tournament by BMW’s tournament staff that also look after the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and BMW International Open in Germany, competitors will receive money can’t buy experiences. Among them time with famed caddie and mental coach Fanny Sunesson, who is on site all week.