.Spain misses out on silver on the 18th hole. Just one stroke separated them from Chinese Taipei, who finished second.

.Cayetana Fernández, who has played under par in all four rounds, has established herself as a great up-and-coming figure in world golf.

Spain secured its sixth medal at the Espirito Santo Trophy, the Women's Team World Championship, this Saturday in Abu Dhabi. The bronze medal won by Cayetana Fernández (second in the individual competition), Julia López, and Carla Bernat is a well-deserved reward for an exceptional week of play at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club (United Arab Emirates), where they consistently ranked among the leaders.

Complete Individual results
Full Team Results

Spain maintained its lead, initially alone and then in company, at the end of the first three days, but in this last day, the success of South Korea, a superpower that has already won five titles since 1996, and some bogeys and double bogeys left the Spanish trio with only a chance of silver.

The day was a rollercoaster of emotions, initially led by England, who started strong with a very inspired Lottie Woad; so much so that she briefly took the lead. But South Korea soon moved to the top of the leaderboard, while Spain struggled to get going and make birdies.

Great champions are defined not only by their talent, but also by their ability to deliver it under immense pressure. And few events are more intense than a World Championship, where the elite of world golf gather. Cayetana Fernández is part of that privileged group, and no one could deny it in Abu Dhabi. The Madrid native once again led the team in this final round, keeping them dreaming of the title until almost the very end.

With Carla Bernat practically out of contention after three bogeys from the 5th to the 8th, Cayetana Fernández led the team with a provisional -3, putting Spain back in contention for the title. Julia López followed suit with a birdie on the 8th, leaving her under par. But that's where the good news ended, halfway through the round.

This is because Cayetana Fernández could not continue to add to her successes and Julia López, who looked set to contribute a card this Saturday as well, went through a lethal ordeal in the last holes, with a double bogey on the 14th that practically diverted Spain from the head-to-head with South Korea for the title.

To make matters worse, just as Spain was close to silver, a blow came in the form of three almost consecutive bogeys - all three Spanish women finished with a bogey on the 18th - which pushed the team down to a bronze medal that must be valued as an excellent result, even though this week there have been moments when gold seemed an achievable goal.

Cayetana Fernández, second in the individual category

Aside from the medal, the other big news for Spanish golf in Abu Dhabi was the emergence—as if it needed it—of Cayetana Fernández as a rising star in world golf. The new player at Texas A&M, with a total of -11 and four rounds under par, finished second in the individual standings, surpassed only by South Korea's Huai-Chien Hsu.

Meanwhile, Julia López, who was in the Top 10 until Saturday, has fallen to twentieth place with -4. Carla Bernat (+3) could not get higher than 44th place in a very productive week for our golf, in which the trio has been supported at all times by Mar Ruiz de la Torre, President of the Women's Amateur Technical Committee, as captain, and Sergio de Céspedes, as coach.

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.

The third day was the real test.

The third round was less exciting for the Spanish trio, but they managed to maintain their lead alongside South Korea. It was a tough round, full of twists and turns; birdies would appear on the Spaniards' scorecards one minute, and then a couple of bogeys would suddenly undo their progress. Such are the inevitable consequences of a tournament like the World Championship and the pressure of the moment.

A tension that didn't seem to affect Cayetana Fernández, who continued playing her game. This time, her daily score of -3 slipped away with a painful bogey on the 18th hole. Julia López posted the same score for the day, -2, alternating birdies with bogeys until she unleashed a decisive move in the final stretch – birdies on the 16th and 18th – that tasted like victory at the clubhouse.

History supported the Spanish trio

The United States – with fourteen victories – is the dominant force in the history of the Espirito Santo Trophy, although it is fair to mention that South Korea has been the main protagonist in the last two decades with its victories in 1996, 2010, 2012, 2016 and now in 2023. Australia and Sweden, with three titles each, and Spain, France and South Africa are the other countries that have won this tournament.

In the Spanish case, the victories occurred in Venezuela in 1986 and Canada in 1992. Macarena Campomanes, Mª Carmen Navarro and María Orueta –in the 1986 edition– and Macarena Campomanes, Estefanía Knuth and Laura Navarro in 1992 were the architects of those historic triumphs.

Furthermore, the team that traveled to Australia in 2008—comprised of Carlota Ciganda, Azahara Muñoz, and Belén Mozo—won the silver medal, second only to Sweden. Previously, Spain had won the bronze medal in the 1980 and 2002 editions. The sixth medal, also bronze, came in 2023 thanks to Cayetana, Julia, and Carla.

FINAL RESULTS

1.- South Korea -22 (140+137+138+139)

2.- Chinese Taipei-18 (144+139+135+140)

3.- SPAIN -17 (137+138+140+144)

Check out the full results, photo gallery and other additional tournament information below in the Related Links section.