Spain is fiercely clinging to the lead in the Women's World Team Championship, the Espirito Santo Trophy. The third day was their least impressive, but even so, they haven't relinquished the top spot; they will face the final round this Saturday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club (United Arab Emirates) tied with South Korea.

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This third round has been tough and full of twists and turns; one minute the Spanish players would hit birdies, the next they'd hit a couple of bogeys that would undo all their progress. Such things are to be expected in a tournament like the World Championship and given the tension of the moment.

A tension that doesn't seem to be affecting Cayetana Fernández, who continues on her path. This time, she missed out on her usual -3 with a painful bogey on the 18th hole. The Madrid native remains in the individual Top 5 and her participation seems crucial to securing a medal.

Julia López also posted a score of -2 for the day, alternating birdies and bogeys until she made a decisive move in the final stretch that, who knows, could prove invaluable at the end of the tournament. Her birdies on the 16th and 18th holes tasted like victory at the clubhouse.

The discarded round was Carla Bernat's 77 (+5), a much less impressive performance than in previous days. This first over-par round for the Spanish delegation doesn't diminish the Castellón native's strong showing in the first two rounds.

This Saturday, the standings give Spain and South Korea a slight advantage (-17) over Thailand (-16). Behind them are Chinese Taipei (-14), Australia (-13), and England (-12). On paper, the medals should be among these six teams.

A dream debut for the Spanish team

The Spanish start in Abu Dhabi couldn't have been better: three rounds under par and the lead. All three golfers teed off in the first groups of the day, leaving a formidable impression and a warning to their skilled rivals. Cayetana Fernández finished the day at -4 after alternating birdies and bogeys on the front nine, and then unleashing her full potential on the back nine.

The other scorecard that counted was Julia López's -3 – the discarded one was Carla Bernat's excellent -2 – which yielded a positive statistic: only one bogey on the day. Both scores resulted in a one-stroke lead over Canada.

On the second day, Spain continued its momentum, although the lead was now shared with Thailand and Australia. Cayetana Fernández demonstrated why she is the world number two, thanks in part to her ability to overcome adversity. The round began smoothly with two birdies in the first four holes, but things got complicated with a couple of bogeys. She recovered with two more birdies in the final three holes for a day-to-date score of -3. A truly remarkable comeback.

Julia López's round of 69 (-3) was also counted. The Andalusian recovered from a double bogey on the 6th hole with two birdies in the final stretch. Paradoxically, Carla Bernat's round (70, -2) was again discarded, although she remained among the top ten players in the tournament at its halfway point.

Ambitious delegation in search of a third title

In Abu Dhabi, the delegation is supported by Mar Ruiz de la Torre, President of the Women's Amateur Technical Committee, as captain, and Sergio de Céspedes as coach. Together, they form an ambitious delegation whose main objective is to win Spain's third gold medal.

The thirty-six participating teams compete over four days using the Stroke Play format, with only the two best daily results from each team being added together.

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