The Spanish golf team at the World University Championships, held at Antequera Golf (Málaga), achieved an outstanding haul: a bronze medal for the men's team, a gold medal for Gerard Piris, and a silver medal for Carlos Pigem. The women's team, which started the day in second place, finished fourth.
In the women's competition, the French team was crowned champion with a total of 598 strokes, six fewer than their closest rivals from Chinese Taipei. The American team finished third, followed by the Spanish team in fourth place with 611 strokes. María Palacios, Belén Buendía, Ane Urchegui, Mandy Goyos, and Ana Fernández de Mesa, the team's top performer in Antequera, played at a very high level.
It is worth remembering that Spain took a crucial step towards reaching the podium in both categories thanks to the sensational performance of the women's team on the third day, in which the men lost the lead, although they still retained their place among the best in the competition.
In the men's category, Spain won bronze in a grueling competition decided by just four strokes, the difference between Xavi Puig, José Bondía, Juan Francisco Sarasti, Carlos Pigem, Antonio Hortal, and Gerard Piris and the South Korean team. Japan finished second, one stroke behind Spain.
The contribution of two golfers from Raimat (Lleida), Gerard Piris and Carlos Pigem, who won gold and silver respectively in the individual classification, was fundamental in achieving this bronze.
The first of them was not only the only player in the tournament to beat par (281 strokes, 7 under par) but also finished seven strokes ahead of his closest rivals. On this final day, he pulled ahead with five birdies (on holes 1, 11, 12, 13, and 14) and two eagles (on holes 2 and 15) for a total of 68. Much of the Spanish success, therefore, lies in the sensational performance of the two Catalan golfers.
Among the boys, Korea took first place with a total of 651 strokes, pushing Spain down to fifth, nine strokes behind the leader. On the same day, Korea's Jin-Jae Byun and England's James White made headlines by equaling the course record with rounds of 67.