Unlike so many of his countrymen, proud American Matt Kuchar has prioritised the golf World Cup over a Thanksgiving at home with his extended family this year.
And he's done it with the full blessing of wife Sybi and his two young sports-loving sons, who will also make the journey down under.
Kuchar will be one of the star turns at the Australian Open at the Lakes in Sydney on November 15-18, before partnering with Kyle Stanley for the following week's World Cup at Metropolitan on Melbourne's famed sandbelt.
Stanley is currently the higher-ranked member of the US squad at No.28 in the world.
But that still makes him just the 14th-ranked American on the current global rankings headed by No.1 Brooks Koepka.
Kuchar - a seven-time winner on the US PGA Tour - is back in 38th spot.
But despite the clash with Thanksgiving, he wasted no time lobbying Stanley to claim the second spot on the American team.
The 40-year-old Kuchar had previously paired with Gary Woodland in China to win the World Cup on debut back in 2011.
"It's such a cool event and to have the past greats that have gone before, to have such great history, to have (2000 winners) Tiger (Woods) and (David) Duval play," Kuchar told a teleconference on Wednesday.
"The names on the list are just fantastic as far as past champions go.
"I'm honoured to be on that list and excited to be going back to try to have another chance at it."
It's a chance many other Americans - and the likes of US-based Australian Jason Day - turned down, with Kuchar fully understanding of their reasons for doing so.
"You can't discount the holiday of Thanksgiving; it's such a big holiday in the United States," he said.
"There are plenty of people who put it above Christmas as it's one of the times where you give thanks.
"It's not about presents, it's not about some of the commercialism of a holiday."
So the ideal compromise for Kuchar - a veteran of four Presidents Cup and four Ryder Cup campaigns - was to get the his immediate family along for the ride.
"We'll still have an Australian version of Thanksgiving when we're down there," he said.
"If it's turkey or whatever it is, we'll try to be thankful for the things you have, the place you live, the life we get to lead.
"So we'll still treat it as a holiday.
"It will be tough not being with mum and dad and the grandparents and the in-laws.
"For me, I get to be with wife and kids and that will be special, but next year I'll certainly go back to the old tradition of the big family get-together."
Australian Associated Press
