When: 3 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 Republic of Korea posted a 3-under 141 in rainy conditions on Friday at Tanah Merah Country Club to take a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore. The defending champions sit at 16-under for the week, followed by the United States at 13 under. Spain and the People’s Republic of China share third at 12 under par.

The Koreans continued their steady play with 18-year-old Ajin Sung leading the way for the defending champions. Sung opened her round with three birdies in her first four holes and then recorded the lone eagle of the week on No. 12, holing her 147-yard second shot into the par 4. Soomin Oh, 17 and ranked No. 14 in the world, posted her first round over par this week, a counting 1-over 73. Seojin Park posted a non-counting 5-over.

“It was a good round. Today, my putter was very good,” said Sung, who earned a wire-to-wire victory at the ANNIKA Invitational Asia earlier this summer. “I think for tomorrow, if everybody on the team plays their own game, we have a good chance of getting our hands on the trophy.”

For USA, Farah O’Keefe and Catherine Park each turned in rounds of 1-under 71. Park, a senior at the University of Southern California, recorded her first bogey-free round of the championship, while O’Keefe endured an up-and-down round that included six birdies and five bogeys. Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megha Ganne shot a non-counting round of even-par 72.

“To be honest, I got a little bit angry,” said O’Keefe, who finished runner-up in The R&A’s Women’s Amateur Championship this summer and represented USA in this year’s Arnold Palmer Cup. “It’s just really hard to get up and down on this course. I’m going to try and hit 18 greens tomorrow. That’s the plan.”

Ying Xu led the Chinese on day three, recording four birdies and also holing an approach shot for the lone eagle of the week on a hole at Tanah Merah. Xu, 16, rolled in her second shot from 110-yards on the par-4 11th en route to a 4-under 68, while teammates Shiyuan Zhou and Yijia Ren each carded rounds of 71.

“That was a big surprise for me… I just felt very amazing about it,” said Xu, who finished T-3 in the 2025 Girls’ Junior PGA Championship. “I want to say thanks to my teammates, they played very good. I’m proud of them, and we will just keep going tomorrow.”

Carolina López-Chacarra and Paula Martín Sampedro, of Spain, carded rounds of 71 and 72, respectively, to help Spain stay in a share of third place. England and Sweden are tied-fifth, one shot back at 11 under par. Host country Singapore is T-17 at 1 over par.

Quotable:

Marcus Lester, Sweden Captain: “It’s really great to see the improvement over the last few days. I think we’ve gotten better and better every day, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow… It’s good to be in the situation we’re in, that’s what we really want, to be in the high-pressure situations.”

Moa Svedenskiold, Sweden: “I’m honored to be here and represent Sweden. It’s my first time playing the World Amateur [Team Championship]. I’m super proud of my team… It’s a great feeling to climb the leader board… Stay calm, do our own routine, play our own game, but try to just give it our all out there tomorrow, and we’ll see how it ends.”

Farah O’Keefe, USA: “It’s always odd when you have to sit in a van for a weather delay for 45 minutes. I’m just glad I was able to warm myself back up and collect my thoughts a little bit.”

Rianne Malixi, Philippines: “I haven’t looked at the leader board yet, so hearing that we jumped a lot of spots up is really relieving. I’m very happy to hear that. I’m really happy, really proud of the other girls, too. We’ll be finishing strong tomorrow.”

Anna Ludvová, Czechia: “My putting and mental state [were the main difference today]. The first day I had 42 putts which was pretty crazy, and today I didn’t three-putt any hole, so for me it was a pretty nice run.”

Notable:

• The championship sustained a 58-minute delay in the early afternoon due to dangerous weather in the area.
• The Republic of Korea is looking to become the first country to win consecutive WWATC titles since 2012. The last country to accomplish the feat was also the Republic of Korea, who won in 2010 at Buenos Aires Golf Club in Argentina and at Gloria Golf Club in Turkey two years later.
• Czechia surged to solo-tenth on day three, recording the lowest team score of the week at 10-under 134 after Anna Ludvová and Veronika Kedroňová turned in blemish-free scorecards that combined for 10 birdies.
• Ludvová propelled her country with the low individual round of the competition, posting a 7-under 65, which was 13 strokes better than her second-round 78 and 18 strokes better than her first-round 83.
• The United States of America received multiple messages of encouragement overnight from back home, including from 1977 PGA Championship winner Lanny Wadkins, three-time Curtis Cupper Rachel Kuehn and her mother Brenda Corrie Kuehn, who has competed in more than 60 USGA championships.
• Ying Xu, of People’s Republic of China, is the solo-individual leader of the championship through 54 holes at 8-under.
• Philippines’ Rianne Malixi, who made history a year ago when she became the second player to ever win both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in the same year, recorded a bogey-free, 5-under 67 in Round 3, highlighted by three birdies on her last four holes. She sits T-2 individually with Japan’s Aira Nagasawa. Philippines is T-12 for the championship, while Japan is T-8.
• Sara Brentcheneff recorded a 6-under 66 on Friday afternoon, marking the second-lowest round of the week behind Ludvová’s 65. Brentcheneff won an LET Access Series event in Portugal earlier this summer and advanced to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes. France enters the final round in solo-seventh.

What’s Next

The final round begins Saturday at 7:15 a.m. local time with a two-tee start on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club. The leading teams of Republic of Korea and USA will occupy the final tee times of 12:36, 12:47 and 12:58 off the first tee, with their groups rounded out by the team members of the People’s Republic of China.

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.