Sweden Wins World Amateur Women's Title, Canada 4th

In 23 Women's biennial World Amateur Team Championships, Sweden has finished in the top ten in every competition.

The Swedes finished at 19-under par (561) with Hedwall edging out teammate Nordqvist for the individual honours by a single stroke.

Team Canada, with a final round of 141, finished with a 72-hole score of 583, alone in fourth place and 10 shots back of runner-up Spain. The surging American squad closed with a final round of 137 and vaulted into third place.

Hedwall's remarkable perfomance left her 10-under-par at the end of the championship. Her closest non-Swedish challenger, Spain's Azahara Munoz, was seven strokes behind Hedwall.

Speaking after the victory, Swedish captain Walter Danewid wiped away tears as he expressed his pride in the girls.

"Winning this championship means so much that it's hard to put into words," Danewid said.

"We've had incredible support from everyone involved and the girls have come out and played fantastic golf and I'm very proud of them."

Chosen by the Royal Canadian Golf Association to represent Canada among the 49 nations participating in the women's tournament,were Kira Miexner, from Richmond, BC and teammates Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Windsor, Que.

TEAM CANADA - - -147-148-147-141--583
Maude-Aimee LeBlanc - - - 73-75-71-69--288
Stephanie Sherlock - - - 75-73-79-72--299
Keir Meixner - - - 74-78-76-73--301

RCGA National Women's Team coach Dean Spriddle was with the team in Australia., together with Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. the team's first alternate while Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Lapointe of Georgetown, Ont., an eight-time member of Canada's World Amateur Team, was the non-playing captain.

The 2010 championships will be played in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Next week the Men's World Amateur Team Championship will take place in Adelaide, Australia. Canada will be represented by Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., Jordan Irwin of Calgary and David Markle of Shelburne, Ont.

The Grange Golf Club's East and West Courses
East: 6,260 yards/ 5,724 meters and par 37-36--73
West: 6,149 yards/ 5,622 meters and par 36-36--72

Team Results (Top 10 of 48)
1 Sweden 137-138-147-139--561 (-19)
2 Spain 145-138-150-140--573 (-7)
3 United States of America 152-144-142-137--575 (-5)
4 Canada 147-148-147-141--583 (+3)
5 Japan 146-147-143-148--584 (+4)
6 Germany 148-150-145-142--585 (+5)
7 England 149-147-150-140--586 (+6)
T8 Denmark 149-149-145-144--587 (+7)
T8 Netherlands 150-142-148-147--587 (+7)
10 South Africa 147-143-150-148--588 (+8)

Individual Results (Top 10 of 144)
1 Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) 67-70-73-70 -280 (-10)
2 Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 70-68 -74-69--281 (-9)
3 Azahara Munoz (Spain) 71-72-74-70--287 (-3)
4 Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (Canada) 73-75-71-69--288 (-2)
5 Christel Boeljon (Netherlands) 77-68-70-74--289 (+2)
T6 Krystle Caithness (Scotland) 71-73-71-75--290 (+3)
T6 Jodi Ewart (England) 73-72-75-70--290 (E)
T6 Caroline Masson (Germany) 75-74-71-70--290 (E)
T6 Maria Jose (Colombia) 73-73-72-72--290 (E)
T6 Alison Walshe (United States of America) 78-73-69-70--290 (E)

Other Canadians
T27 Stephanie Sherlock (Canada) 75-73-79-72--299 (+9)
T36 Kira Meixner (Canada) 74-78-76-73--301 (+11)