By Adam Pengilly
England's top seed Chris Wood plans to speak to Ryder Cup teammate Lee Westwood about the former world No.1's bizarre omission from the World Cup of Golf, months after the European Tour veteran had booked flights to Melbourne for the lucrative tournament.
While Wood did his best to distance himself from the major shake-up to England's two-man team for this week's $US8 million tournament at Kingston Heath, Westwood is still smarting from being overlooked after the withdrawal of US Masters champion Danny Willett.
Willett, the top-ranked Englishman at the time World Cup entries closed, was allowed to choose his partner for the tournament and opted to team up with Westwood.
But when Willett decided against travelling to Melbourne to rest a back injury, the automatic spot reverted to four-time winner Wood after Justin Rose declined an offer to take part in the tournament.
Team controversy: Andy Sullivan and Chris Wood of Team England speak to the media.Credit: Quinn Rooney
Wood instead chose close friend and world No.40 Andy Sullivan as his preferred partner for the teams-based event, leaving Westwood stranded after planning his end-of-year schedule around the World Cup.
But Wood said there wasn't a fuss made when Willett snubbed himself and Sullivan – both ranked higher than Westwood – and would seek to appease Westwood in the immediate future after failing to catch up at the European Tour-ending's Race To Dubai event last week.
"I can understand Lee's frustration, but it was Dan that pulled out which affected him," Wood said. "It had nothing to do with me.
"Dan got the choice to pick two or three months ago and he looked past the likes of myself, Sully, Fitz [Matthew Fitzpatrick] and Tyrrell Hatton to go to pick Lee. I'm sure all of us felt a little bit frustrated by that. But nothing was made of it.
"At that point I was the next guy in line and when I had gone down the rankings Sully was the guy behind me. That was the right way to do it I felt.
"I'm sure it will blow over. I wouldn't have thought it would be an issue."
Gentle giant Wood and the diminutive Sullivan might look completely different, but their friendship could take England a long way in a tournament set to be headed up by the Adam Scott-Marc Leishman combination for Australia and the formidable Japanese (Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Ishikawa) and American (Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker) pairings.
Wood and Sullivan only jetted into Melbourne on Tuesday morning before heading to Kingston Heath to fulfil media commitments, but remained confident they would be ready for Thursday's fourball format.
Both turned in solid showings at the DP World Tour Championship at Dubai and scrapped holiday plans – Wood left his wife in Dubai – to head to Melbourne.
"I'm really happy that Sully is here," Wood said. "I can completely understand Lee's frustration, obviously. But that's the rules of the tournament. Dan knew that when he pulled out. [Sully and I] are going to gell really well.
"You're playing in a team event and you want to play with someone you get on with. We've known each other since we were probably 15."
Both Wood and Sullivan have experience on Melbourne's world famous sandbelt, but it is perhaps one the former would prefer to forget. Wood was stung by a bee on an eye while relieving himself in some bushes at Kingston Heath several years ago and was forced off the course.
And Sullivan said it was an opportunity he could not pass up to return.
"I don't know how many World Cups you'll be invited to play so when you get the opportunity the only answer I was going to give was 'yes'," the world No.40 said. "Playing with Woody I knew we were going to have a good laugh as well as give it a good go as well."