Team USA won the Espirito Santo Trophy for the 15th time and first since 2018 on Saturday after a dramatic end to the final day of the women’s championship of the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC), where the Americans pipped the Koreans and Spaniards to the trophy by winning with the third round non-counting score.
Team USA, Korea and Spain were tied at 18-under-par 558 after four rounds of competition at the Tanah Merah Country Club. But after comparing non-counting scores, Megha Ganne’s third round, even-par 72 would win it for USA.
Spain’s non-counting score in the third round was a two-over-par 73. As a result, Spain and Korea each received a silver medal. England and China finished tied-fourth, two shots back at Tanah Merah Country Club.
Catherine Park delivered the decisive moment on 18 by sinking a crucial eight-foot birdie putt to secure victory for her team.
The 21-year-old senior from the University of Southern California was visibly elated after holing the winning putt.
“I’m just so happy. It’s the pressure of making that eight-footer and then knowing that we won was unbelievable. It has been a dream being here with them, winning this trophy,” said Park.
USA Coach Chris Zambri also shared Park’s joy and said, “I’m over the moon. I’m so happy for the girls. They all contributed big time. It was unbelievable the way each one of them played. It’s just amazing to watch these young people perform under pressure. You know, it’s a thrill.”
Meanwhile, Singapore, represented by the trio of Chen Xingtong, Inez Ng and Valencia Chang, enjoyed their best-ever finish of tied-15th at the WATC with their one-under-par 575 total.
Singapore Golf Association (SGA) national coach, Murray Smit praised the team’s effort and believes the result signals continued progress for women’s golf in Singapore.
“There’ll be things we obviously will look back on, and I’m sure we can look to improve on both as a team and individually, but to finish tied-15th is a massive effort from our girls. There were some tough stretches in there through the week, but as a team, they really dug in and fought hard, especially today, after a tough start.
“Our previous best finish was in Abu Dhabi in 2023, where we finished tied-20th. So finishing tied-15th is a massive step forward for Singapore women’s golf, and we can look to build from here in Morocco, hopefully, in two years’ time,” said Smit.
Hosted by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) and conducted by the International Golf Federation (IGF), the WATC is held every two years and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of amateur team golf.
The men will compete for the Eisenhower Trophy next week from October 8–11.
Click here for the 2025 WATC official tee times and scoring.
Photo courtesy of the International Golf Federation and Singapore Golf Association.