Singapore: The United States claimed victory in the women’s World Amateur Team Championships in the most dramatic of fashions, edging Spain and Korea on a tie-break.

All three countries finished the 31st edition of the Espirito Santo Trophy with 72-hole aggregates of 18-under-par 558 at Tanah Merah Country Club in the event in which the best two daily scores in each team of three are counted.

Rather than a play-off, tournament terms and conditions determined that the deadlock be broken by assessing the final-round score of the ‘non-counting’ player in each team. For the US and Spain that was 71, while Korea’s 74 meant the Asian nation’s bid for a successful title defence was denied.

The tie-break then went back to the third round with Megha Ganne’s 72 bettering Andrea Revuelta’s 73, delivering victory to the US by the finest of margins.

While the gold medal-winning Americans raised aloft the glittering trophy, the players and captains from Spain and Korea squeezed into the second-place space on the podium after the International Golf Federation, the tournament organisers, declared them joint silver medallists.

Non-playing US Captain Kendra Graham caught the mood perfectly during the prize presentation ceremony when she said: “Wow! What a fantastic week. I’m not sure there’s ever been a tie-breaker go this distance.”

The tears – and screams – of joy of Ganne, Catherine Park and Farah O’Keefe were in stark contrast to the tears of disappointment shed by the Korean trio of Oh Soo-min, Sung Ai-jin and Park Seo-jin and the Spanish team of Paula Martin Sampredro, Carolina López-Chacarra and Revuelta.

Despite their nerve-shredding loss, the Korean team were praised by Won Ko-sang, Director of International Affairs and High Performance, Korea Golf Association (KGA).

He said: “Golf can be very harsh – and that’s a tough way to be beaten. But I’m so proud of our girls and what they’ve achieved this week. They will learn a lot from this experience.”

There was kudos, too, for China’s Xu Ying, who posted a closing five-under-par 67. That gave her a four-round total of 13-under 275, securing her the distinction of finishing as the low individual – four shots clear of Rianne Malixi of the Philippines, Oh and Martin Sampredro.

“Xu has exceeded our expectations. It was a good performance from all of our players,” said He Zhenhua, China’s captain, referring to the tied fourth finish of Xu, Zhou Shiyuan and Ren Yijia, the country’s best ever showing in the championships. Between them, Xu, Zhou and Ren have already won seven titles on the CLPG Tour. More good times lie ahead for the talented teenagers.

China and England ended just two shots shy of the leading three teams, while the Philippines, inspired by Malixi and Grace Quintanilla, who closed with a 66, climbed into joint seventh spot.

Leading Team Scores

558 – United States 136-141-142-139 (Catherine Park 71-68-71-71; Farah O’Keefe 67-73-71-71; Megha Ganne 69-75-72-68); Spain 139-138-143-138 (Paula Martin Sampredro 71-67-72-69; Andrea Revuelta 68-71-73-69; Carolina López-Chacarra 71-71-71-71); Korea 137-138-141-142 (Oh Soo-min 68-69-73-69; Sung Ai-jin 75-69-68-73; Park Seo-jin 69-73-77-74)

560 – England 141-141-139-139 (Annabel Peaford 72-69-70-70; Nellie Ong 69-74-69-69; Patience Rhodes 73-72-70-74); China 141-140-139-140 (Xu Ying 70-70-68-67; Zhou Shiyuan 71-70-71-73; Ren Yijia 74-70-71-73)

562 – Sweden 144-140-137-141 (Meja Ortengren 70-71-70-70; Moa Svedenskiold 74-69-68-74; Kajsolatta Svarvar 77-74-69-71)

566 – Philippines 145-148-137-136 (Rianne Malixi 70-72-67-70; Grace Pauline Quintanilla 75-76-71-66; Junia Gabasa 76-76-70-75); France 145-142-137-142 (Valentine Delon 74-68-71-70; Sara Brentcheneff 71-74-66-72; Constance Fouillet 79-75-74-72)

568 – Denmark 144-143-146-135 (Benedicte Brent-Petersen 72-72-74-67; Marie Madsen 73-71-73-68; Emma Bunch 72-75-73-76)

569 – Canada 142-143-140-144 (Lauren Kim 73-70-72-72; Michelle Xing 72-73-68-72; Vanessa Borovilos 70-76-72-72)

Selected Team Scores

571 – Japan 142-141-142-146 (Aira Nagasawa 68-69-72-72; Mamika Shinchi 75-72-70-75; Anna Iwanaga 74-75-73-74)

572 – Australia 147-139-144-142 (Ella Scaysbrook 73-68-73-71; Raegan Denton 74-71-73-71; Jazy Roberts 74-72-71-74)

574 – Hong Kong, China 145-142-140-147 (Sabrina Wong 74-69-71-73; Elin Wang 71-73-69-79; Leung Hei-tung 76-77-72-74)

575 – Singapore 147-143-143-142 (Chen Xingtong 69-72-75-70; Valencia Chang 78-71-72-75; Inez Ng 79-72-71-72)

580 – Malaysia 148-142-144-146 (Jeneath Wong 73-71-70-72; Zi Yu Foong 75-71-74-74; Charlayne Chong 78-78-79-76)

582 – Thailand 142-147-148-145 (Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul 71-72-78-72; Prim Prachnakorn 71-75-77-73; Pimpisa Rubrong 77-77-71-75)

584 – New Zealand 150-141-144-149 (Eunseo Choi 73-69-69-71; Vivian Lu 77-72-75-82; Emma Zheng 87-82-80-78)

593 – Chinese Taipei 148-144-148-153 (Chun Liao-hsin 73-72-75-79; Hsu Huai-chien 76-72-74-74; Chen Yu-chu 75-81-74-WD)

628 – Vietnam 156-156-161-155 (Chuc An Le 79-73-79-76; Le Nguyen Minh Anh 77-83-83; Arena Tran 85-86-82-79)

669 – Guam 176-165-163-165 (Tyanna Jacot 84-82-79-81; Nalathai Vongjalorn 92-83-84-84; Mina Manibusan 93-91-92-87)

Leading Individual Scores

275 – Xu Ying (China) 70-70-68-67

279 – Paula Martin Sampredro (Spain) 71-67-72-69; Oh Soo-min (Korea) 68-69-73-69; Rianne Malixi (Philippines) 70-72-67-70

281 – Nellie Ong (England) 69-74-69-69; Andrea Revuelta (Spain) 68-71-73-69; Annabel Peaford (England) 72-69-70-70; Meja Ortengren (Sweden) 70-71-70-70; Catherine Park (US) 71-68-71-71; Aira Nagasawa (Japan) 68-69-72-72

282 – Eunseo Choi (New Zealand) 73-69-69-71; Farah O’Keefe (US) 67-73-71-71

283 – Valentine Delon (France) 74-68-71-70; Sara Brentcheneff (France) 71-74-66-72

284 – Megha Ganne (US) 69-75-72-68; Carolina López-Chacarra (Spain) 71-71-71-71; Megan Streicher (South Africa) 71-71-69-73

285 – Benedicte Brent-Petersen (Denmark) 72-72-74-67; Marie Madsen (Denmark) 73-71-73-68; Francesca Fiorellini (Italy) 73-70-71-71; Ella Scaysbrook (Australia) 73-68-73-71; Michelle Xing (Canada) 72-73-68-72; Zhou Shiyuan (China) 71-70-71-73; Sung Ai-jin (Korea) 75-69-68-73; Moa Svedenskiold (Sweden) 74-69-68-74

Selected Individual Scores

286 – Chen Xingtong (Singapore) 69-72-75-70; Jeneath Wong (Malaysia) 73-71-70-72

287 – Lauren Kim (Canada) 73-70-72-72; Sabrina Wong (Hong Kong, China) 74-69-71-73

288 – Grace Pauline Quintanilla (Philippines) 75-76-71-66; Ren Yijia (China) 74-70-71-73

289 – Raegan Denton (Australia) 74-71-73-71; Patience Rhodes (England) 73-72-70-74

291 – Jazy Roberts (Australia) 74-72-71-74

292 – Mamika Shinchi (Japan) 75-72-70-75; Elin Wang (Hong Kong, China) 71-73-69-79

293 – Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul (Thailand) 71-72-78-72; Park Seo-jin (Korea) 69-73-77-74

294 – Inez Ng (Singapore) 79-72-71-72; Zi Yu Foong (Malaysia) 75-71-74-74

296 – Prim Prachnakorn (Thailand) 71-75-77-73; Anna Iwanaga (Japan) 74-75-73-74; Hsu Huai-chien (Chinese Taipei) 76-72-74-74; Valencia Chang (Singapore) 78-71-72-75

297 – Junia Gabasa (Philippines) 76-76-70-75

299 – Leung Hei-tung (Hong Kong, China) 76-77-72-74; Chun Liao-hsin (Chinese Taipei) 73-72-75-79

300 – Pimpisa Rubrong (Thailand) 77-77-71-75

306 – Vivian Lu (New Zealand) 77-72-75-82

307 – Chuc An Le (Vietnam) 79-73-79-76

311 – Charlayne Chong (Malaysia) 78-78-79-76

324 – Le Nguyen Minh Anh (Vietnam) 77-83-83-81

326 – Tyanna Jacot (Guam) 84-82-79-81

327 – Emma Zheng (New Zealand) 87-82-80-78

332 – Arena Tran (Vietnam) 85-86-82-79

343 – Nalathai Vongjalorn (Guam) 92-83-84-84

363 – Mina Manibusan (Guam) 93-91-92-87

WD – Chen Yu-chu (Chinese Taipei) 75-81-74-WD