Korea cruise to gold at World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi Golf Club

World No. 4 Minsol Kim’s 4-under 68 and a 71 from Kyrorim Seo led Korea to the gold medal in the 2023 World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) on Saturday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. It is Korea’s fourth Espirito Santo Trophy victory in the last seven competitions and their fifth all time.

The Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), and the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, hosted the World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The World Amateur Team Championships are a biennial international amateur golf competition conducted by the International Golf Federation. The championships were held in the Middle East for the first time since their inauguration in 1958. 2023 marked the 33rd men’s championship for the Eisenhower Trophy on 18th–21st October and the 30th women’s championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy on 25th-28th October 2023. The competition brought together the best amateur golfers who have aspirations of collegiate golf or turning professional. Some of the biggest names in golf who participated in the WATC are Annika Sorenstam (SWE) ’90, ’92, Jack Nicklaus (USA) ’60, Colin Montgomerie (GBI) ’84, Sergio Garcia (ESP) ’96, ‘98, Rory McIlroy (IRE) ’06 and Tiger Woods (USA) ’94.

First held in 1958, the championship includes 72 holes of stroke play competition. Each country fields two or three players with the two lowest scores counting per round.

Korea jumped out to a solo lead early in the round and never surrendered it. Kim, who was the runner-up in the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific, made back-to-back birdies on the par-5 second and par-4 third holes and again on the eighth and ninth.

Korea’s 72-hole score of 22-under-par 554 was four strokes better than silver-medal winning Chinese Taipei and five better than the bronze medal winners Spain.

Chinese Taipei, which began the day three back from the leaders, leaped into silver position after a birdie-birdie finish from Huai-Chien Hsu, a sophomore at the University of Texas. After missing the green left on the par-4 17th, Hsu chipped in from 18 yards for a three and followed with a 9-footer for birdie on the last hole to post a team score of 558.This is Chinese Taipei’s first medal in its 16 Women’s World Amateur Team appearances.