When: 2 Oct. 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 Republic of Korea posted a 6-under 138 on Thursday morning at Tanah Merah Country Club’s Tampines Course, bringing the team total to 13-under for the championship and securing a two-stroke lead for the defending champion of the Espirito Santo Trophy through 36 holes. Spain and the United States of America are tied for second, two strokes back at 11-under.

Soomin Oh and Aijin Sung combined for eight birdies and just two bogeys on day two, each finishing with 3-under 69s. Oh, who won the 2025 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, continues to lead the way for Republic of Korea, as she sits T-1 individually at 7-under after Round 2.

“Both yesterday and today, the play was okay. I’m satisfied with everything that I actually planned,” said Oh, who finished third in the 2024 Singapore Women’s Open, which was also contested at Tanah Merah. “I never thought about how useful playing the Singapore Women’s Open was. One thing for sure, it’s helped psychologically. It’s comforting to know that I know this course.”

Spain’s Paula Martín Sampedro surged on Thursday morning, recording the low round of the day and matching the low round of the championship with a 5-under 67 (O’Keefe, Round 1).

“This is a challenging golf course and giving yourself really good birdie chances is not that easy,” said Martín Sampedro, who also won the European Girls’ Team Championship alongside her Espirito Santo teammates earlier this summer. “I was hitting the ball well, and I think the key part today was that I was able to make some putts.”

Martín Sampedro, who won The R&A’s Women’s Amateur earlier this summer, tallied seven birdies in the second round, bogeying one of the par 3s on each nine (Nos. 6 and 14). Andrea Revuelta and Carolina López-Chacarra each posted 1-under 71s, bringing the team’s total for the day to 6-under.

“I’ve brought a team that plays really steady from tee to green,” said Álvaro Salto, Spain’s coach this week. “Obviously, we are not used to this type of grass, but they got used to it quite fast, so I’m quite surprised and happy at the same time.”

Catherine Park posted a 4-under 68 to help USA to a 3-under finish on day two and stay in a share of second, recording four birdies and an eagle after chipping in on the par-5 eighteenth.

“I would say the length has actually not been that bad. I’ve been having a lot of wedges in, so I have been sticking [shots close] a lot,” said Park, who was the first alternate for USA and joined the team following Kiara Romero’s withdrawal.

Teammates O’Keefe and Ganne struggled on Thursday morning, the former recording a counting score of 1-over 73. Ganne recorded a triple-bogey on the par-5 fifth en route to a 3-over 75. Only the two best scores from each team count toward the total.

Host country Singapore continues to be led by 16-year-old Xingtong Chen, who carded an even-par 72 and sits T-8 individually. As a team, Singapore posted a 1-under 143 thanks to Valencia Chang’s 1-under finish in Round 2. Inez Ng carded a non-counting even-par 72.

Quotable:

Valencia Chang, Singapore: “I was definitely more confident with my shots. I was just seeing the target very clearly, and I had [Coach] Murray [Smit] with me most of the time, so I was just more confident than yesterday.”

Inez Ng, Singapore: “I think I’m trying to enjoy playing at home a bit more today, focusing on my processes instead of being too result-focused. I think staying in the present really helped me today.”

Paula Martin Sampedro, Spain: “It means a lot. I’m getting used to playing team events at Stanford, but I feel like playing for my country is just a different feeling that I can only have in this event… It’s already super special to be here and having the feeling of playing for something way bigger than myself, getting to share that with my teammates makes it even more special.”

Coach Chris Zambri, USA: “I’ve seen a lot of really smart play, not taking on things we don’t have to take on in terms of risk… They’re good ball strikers. They’re awesome kids with a ton of spirit, and they really want to perform, not just for themselves, but for our country and their families. In terms of their golf games, they have pretty reliable golf swings, so it’s nice when you’re out there with a group like that. It makes for a lot less stress, that’s for sure.

Meja Örtengren, Sweden: “I love this tournament. It’s nice to be back… We were a little bit disappointed yesterday, I think all of us feel that we had more in us.”

Sang-Won Ko, Republic of Korea Director of High Performance: “I’m happy as well. Not because of their scores, but because of their management and performance. Luckily, we are leading, but nobody knows what will happen in the third and fourth round. We’ll continue to do what we have planned. I’m happy that the girls are doing really well as they planned and prepared.”

Catherine Park, USA: “I think we just need to lock in [to win the gold medal].”

Notable:

• The championship sustained a 1 hour and 42-minute suspension due to dangerous weather in the area, and the second round was completed under Tanah Merah’s on-course lighting.
• Japan’s Aira Nagasawa posted rounds of 68 and 69 in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively, and is T-1 individually through 36. Japan is currently solo-fifth.
• Of the four players in the field that play collegiately at Stanford University, three are inside the top 10 individually after two rounds: Meja Ortengren (SWE), Paula Martín Sampedro (ESP) and Andrea Revuelta (ESP). USA’s Megha Ganne is T-27 at even par through 36 holes.
• Singapore’s Valencia Chang and Inez Ng each improved on their first-round scores by eight and seven strokes, respectively. Chang posted rounds of 78-71, while Ng recorded rounds of 79-72.
• Spain and Canada are the only two countries with each of their three competitors under par through 36 holes.
• Hong Kong, China’s Sabrina Wong, the second-youngest competitor and one of two 13-year-olds in the field, posted a 3-under 69 on day two, leading her country to a 1-under 71 and solo-tenth place after Round 2.
• The Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club is playing to a distance of 6,453 yards/5,897 meters this week for the Espirito Santo Trophy, which makes it the second-longest course in WWATC history behind only the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in 2023.
• Despite the precipitation that fell during Round 2, Thursday’s temperatures still reached 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), with a heat index of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit).

What’s Next

Round 3 begins Friday at 7:15 a.m. local time with a two-tee start on the Tampines Course.

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.