When: 1 October 2025

What: 31st Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy

Where: Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course), Singapore

Rapid Recap:

The United States of America stands alone atop the leader board after the first round of the 31st Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Tanah Merah Country Club’s Tampines Course on Wednesday afternoon.

Led by a 5-under 67 from world No. 7 Farah O’Keefe and complemented by a bogey-free, 3-under 69 from reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megha Ganne, USA holds a one-stroke lead over defending champion Republic of Korea.

“I think my ball-striking was just really good,” said O’Keefe, a junior at the University of Texas who also represented the USA in this year’s Arnold Palmer Cup. “It was a really good, patient, mental round where I was just letting the birdies come to me, rather than trying to force things to happen.”

No. 14-ranked Soomin Oh led the way for Republic of Korea, tallying four birdies and an eagle against two bogeys en route to a 4-under 68. Oh, who won this year’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific, managed to reach the 533-yard, par-5 eighth in two, converting on the 10-foot uphill putt and notching the only recorded eagle of the day.

Teammate Seojin Park tallied four birdies of her own, adding a 3-under 69 to the team’s 7-under total of 137.

“I think Soomin and I had very good teamwork today,” said Park, who finished runner-up in this year’s APGC Junior Championship. “It wasn’t that good of a run for me on the [outward] nine, but I was just patient. I could have had more birdies on the [inward] nine.”

Spain, who held a share of the lead with Republic of Korea heading into the final round in 2023, finished with a 5-under total of 139. Stanford freshman Andrea Revuelta carded a bogey-free round of her own, finishing 4-under 68, with both teammates Paula Martín Sampedro and Carolina López-Chacarra adding 1-under 71s.

Only two of each team’s best three scores count toward the total.

“It was a very solid round. I hit 18 greens, so I basically played perfectly from tee to green. Didn’t miss one shot,” said Revuelta. “We know we have a chance to win this tournament. We have three amazing players… it’s just giving ourselves the opportunity of being in the mix at the end.”

The host country Singapore is T-16 after Round 1. Xingtong Chen, who was the runner-up at this year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior at Atlanta Athletic Club, notched five birdies and finished 3-under 69, sitting T-5 individually. Teammates Valencia Chang and Inez Ng each carded rounds of 6-over and 7-over, respectively.

Quotable:

Megha Ganne, USA: “I have so much gratitude to be playing for the United States and wearing red, white and blue, which I rarely get to do. This is a huge honor, this tournament was on my bucket list for my amateur career.”

Captain Murray Smit, Singapore: “There’s not too many times that you get the opportunity to play in front of your home country and such a phenomenal event, the biggest amateur team event in the world. The goal really for the week is just to continue to build on the strong performances that we’ve put in the last two tournaments and then take it from there.”

Xingtong Chen, Singapore: “I think it’s really nice to be back home, have a home crowd and know that this is a place that I’m really familiar with. I know it really well. So, I think that’s always nice, and it’s a beautiful course, so I’m really happy to be here.”

Rianne Malixi, Philippines: “It’s been a while since I’ve really represented my country, ever since I got injured. Now I’m in college and representing the Philippines while in college is really amazing, being given this opportunity is always an honor.”

Sang-Won Ko, Republic of Korea Director of High Performance: “While we are here as defending champions, [Sung, Park and Oh] were not there. Even as a team, as a defending [champion], they are all newbies [at the WATC]. So, I keep telling them: You’ve done enough. Just go out and enjoy the game.”

Vanessa Borovilos, Canada: “Well, weather, there’s no doubt it’s hot… Honestly, this grass is so nice to hit off of. Being from Toronto, it’s a bit different. I’ve just enjoyed hitting shots off these fairways.”

Notable:

• Inez Ng, of Singapore, hit the opening tee shot of the championship on Wednesday morning. Ng, a senior at the University of North Carolina, is competing in her second WATC.
• Nine of the 36 teams finished under par on Day 1.
• A total of 27 players in the field competed in the 2023 Women’s WATC. Italy and Philippines are fielding the same three players as they did in Abu Dhabi two years ago.
• Catherine Park, who was the first alternate for USA and joined the team following Kiara Romero’s withdrawal due to injury, recorded a 1-under 71. Park was one of four players in the field who competed in the 2024 Curtis Cup Match at Sunningdale Golf Club in England.
• Paula Martín Sampedro and Andrea Revuelta, the two highest-ranked players in the field (No. 3 and No. 2, respectively), carded rounds of 68 and 71 to position Spain in solo-third. Carolina López-Chacarra also recorded a 1-under 71. The trio were part of the gold-medal winning team at this year’s European Girls’ Team Championship.
• López-Chacarra (ESP), Rianne Malixi (PHL), Martin Sampedro (ESP) and Farah O’Keefe (USA) are four of six players in the field who competed in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.
• Temperatures reached 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) with a heat index of 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) during Round 1.

What’s Next:

Round 2 begins Thursday at 7:15 a.m. with a two-tee start on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club.

Media Contacts

Adrian Godoy – agodoy@usga.org

International Golf Federation – communications@igfmail.org

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About the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC)

The World Amateur Team Championships are a biennial international amateur golf competition conducted by the International Golf Federation. The women contest the Espirito Santo Trophy while the men compete for the Eisenhower Trophy. This year marks the 31^st edition of the women’s WATC which was first played in 1964 in France. The men’s Championship was first played in 1958 on the Old Course of St. Andrews and 2025 is its 34^th edition.

About the International Golf Federation (IGF)

The IGF is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the international federation for golf. In addition to the World Amateur Team Championships, the IGF also organises the golf competitions at the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games. The IGF is composed of 153 member federations from 150 countries.

About the Singapore Golf Association (SGA)

The SGA is the National Sport Association governing the game of golf in Singapore. Its objective is to encourage and promote the game of golf in Singapore. The SGA is currently comprised of 11 Full Members, 7 Associate Members and 6 Affiliate Members. It is a member of the International Golf Federation, Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, ASEAN Golf Federation, Asia Golf Leaders Forum and the Singapore National Olympic Council.

About Tanah Merah Country Club

As one of Singapore’s and Asia’s most prestigious clubs, Tanah Merah Country Club has built a distinguished reputation for excellence since its official opening in 1984. Its two championship courses, the Garden Course and Tampines Course, are celebrated for their masterful design, impeccable year-round maintenance, and commitment to sustainability—both proudly holding the prestigious GEO Certified® accreditation. Renowned for hosting world-class tournaments, Tanah Merah Country Club has a rich history of staging international events, including the Johnnie Walker Classic, Lexus Cup, and HSBC Women’s Champions. More recently, the club welcomed the Asian Tour’s International Series Singapore (ISS), and the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open (HFGSWO). With numerous industry accolades and affiliations with top foreign clubs, Tanah Merah Country Club remains the premier destination for championship tournaments, as well as exclusive private and corporate golf events.