Women's world amateur team championship

SOUTH AFRICA WIN ESPIRITO SANTO
TROPHY FROM SWEDES ON TIE BREAK

BY COLIN FARQUHARSON

Host nation South Africa won the women's world amateur team golf championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy on a tie-break after finishing with the same four-round aggregate - 10-under-par 566 - as defending champions Sweden at Stellenbosch today.
The Swedes - for whom Caroline Westrup won the unofficial individual honours - made up four shots on the Springboks on the final day.
The first tie-break rule - based on the teams' non-counting scores in the final round - failed to resolve the situation as both South Africa and Sweden's non-counting Saturday score was 75.
The second tie-break rule, a comparision of the teams' non-counting scores for Friday's third round came down in favour of South Africa with a 73 to a 77.
It seemed an unsatisfactory way to finish what had been an excellent team championship, rather like awarding football's World Cup to the team that had gained the most corner kicks in a drawn final.
Could the teams not have gone out in an sudden-death play-off?
It was desperately close at the top of the final table with Colombia only a shot behind the top two on 567. Then came France, just one shot further back in fourth place on 568.
Germany and Japan were squeezed up behind them in joint fifth place on 569.
England (578) were the top British & Irish team in joint 11th place.
Scotland, whose daily team totals reflect their fortunes - 153, 141, 150 and 147 - were 19th on 591 – two shots better than Wales who were tied for 20th place.
Ireland will be disappointed to have finished no higher than joint 23rd on 594.
Sweden’s Caroline Westrup, currently at college in the United States, came with a late run to deprive 16-year-old Japanese schoolgirl Rikako Morita of the individual title which is strictly unofficial, there being no award to the player with the lowest individual aggregate - another strange quirk of such a major world championship.
Rikako had led through the first three rounds but a final effort of 75 left the door open for someone to catch her – and it was Miss Westrup who signed off with a 69 for an eight-under-par total of 280.
That was two shots ahead of the second-placed Japanese girl.
England’s Kerry Smith (jt 16th on 288) and Sophie Walker (jt 19th on 290) were the leading GB&I players individually.
Heather MacRae finished with a 71, thanks to late birdies at the 16th and 18th for a seven-over-par total of 295 and a share of 36th place with Curtis Cup Welsh player Breanne Loucks.
Jenna Wilson ran up a quadruple bogey 7 at the short ninth in an outward half of 42. Her only birdie in two days’ play came at the 18th for a 78. She had an outstanding 69 in the second round but disappointed in the other three rounds as she finished on 12-over-par 300 and a share of 52nd place.
Krystle Caithness was back among the double bogeys in a final round of 76. She had a 6 at the second and a 6 at the 15th but she finished with birdies at the 17th and 18th for a total of 305 and a share of 73rd place.

FINAL TEAM TOTALS

566 South Africa 139 138 141 148, Sweden 139 145 138 144 (South Africa won on a comparison of the teams' non-counting third-round scores).
567 Colombia 147 141 143 136.
568 France 146 136 142 144.
569 Germany 141 139 143 146, Japan 137 144 145 143.
570 New Zealand 146 144 139 141.
572 Spain 145 146 138 143.
574 United States 144 146 138 146.
576 Chinese Taipei 139 146 143 147.
578 Korea 145 141 149 143, England 145 139 145 149, Netherlands 149 140 142 147 (jt 11th).
581 Australia.
583 Canada.
584 Italy.
585 Russian Federation.
590 Mexico.
591 Scotland 153 141 150 147 (19th).
593 Wales 150 148 153 142, Czech Republic, Belgium (jt 20th).
594 Austria, Ireland 152 149 146 147 (jt 23rd).
602 Brazil.
603 Finland.
605 Argentina.
608 Norway.
610 Venezuela, Phillipines.
623 Bermuda.
624 Iceland.
625 Switzerland.
636 Puerto Rico.
638 Guatemala.
643 Egypt.
647 Trinidad & Tobago.
670 Slovakia.
694 Zambia.
705 Colombia.
760 Gabon.

FINAL INDIVIDUAL TOTALS
280 C Westrup (Swe) 72 73 66 69.
282 R Morita (Jap) 65 72 70 75.
283 A Munoz (Spa) 74 72 69 69, Pei-lin Yu (Chinese Taipei) 66 73 71 73.
Also:
285 M Bourdy (Fra) 74 68 69 784 (jt 7th).
286 K Schallenberg (Ger) 73 68 72 73 (jt 12th).
287 C Masson (Ger) 77 71 71 73, A Nordqvist (Swe) 68 72 72 75 (jt 14th).
288 A Rossi (Ita) 71 73 70 74, K Smith (Eng) 73 69, 72 74 (jt 16th).
290 S Walker (Eng) 72 70 73 75 (jt 19th).
293 B Mozo (Spa) 71 74 74 74 (jt 29th).
295 B Loucks (Wal) 77 75 75 68, H MacRae (Sco) 76 72 76 71 (jt 36th).
299 M Gillen (Ire) 75 75 74 75, C Coughlan (Ire) 81 74 72 72 (jt 48th).
300 J Wilson (Sco) 77 69 76 78 (jt 52nd).
302 M Reid (Eng) 75 74 76 77 (jt 63rd).
303 T Davies (Wal) 78 73 78 74, S Hassan (Wal) 73 78 78 74 (jt 66th).
305 K Caithness (Sco) 77 78 74 76 (jt 73rd).
322 T Mangan (Ire) 77 79 83 83 (jt 101st).