Paraguay surprised all with their seven-stroke victory on their debut in the Women's World Cup of Golf on Sunday, making a tremendous impact for a country with only six golf courses.
Julieta Granada and Celeste Troche sealed a wire-to-wire victory with a seven under par 65 in the final betterball matches for a total of nine under par.
Their birdie, birdie finish capped a week of superb team play in which they claimed a four-stroke lead in the opening singles, retained it through a difficult round of foursomes and then marched to an emphatic victory in the betterball.
“Day one was key,” said the 20-year-old Granada . “We didn't expect a four-shot lead at only five under then, but it made a big difference because the alternate shot is such a tough format, and then everybody scores low in the betterball.”
The United States team of Juli Inkster and Pat Hurst finished second on two under with a closing 67. Korea 's Young Kim and Ji Yai Shin took third place on one under, also with a 67.
Granada and Troche did not get off to the best of starts when they both three-putted the first for a bogey.
But Granada soon found her form, making the birdies at holes three, five, six, eight and 11, while Troche birdied 10, chipped in for birdie on 17 and then holed a five-footer for birdie at the last.
“That chip-in on 17 made us realise that this wasn't just a dream but that it was actually happening,” said Troche.
As a team, the two players could not be further apart in their careers at the moment.
Granada is a rising star on the LPGA Tour and came into this event having claimed the richest first prize in women's golf when she won $1-million in the ADT Championship.
“I like winning. I'm enjoying going to the press conferences, and the cheques are nice too,” said the bubbly Granada , whose mother caddied for her this week.
“She gets a good percentage,” she said.
Troche, on the other hand, arrived in South Africa unsure of her future following a poor 2006 in which she campaigned on the Futures Tour and enjoyed a few starts on the LPGA Tour, but with little success.
“To win this is a great feeling because I have been struggling. I've been wondering what I should do with my life and whether I should continue playing golf, and this week gave me the answer,” she said.
South Africa finished a disappointing 16 th on 13 over par despite a solid 66 in the betterball. But it was a slow start in the opening singles which led to their worst finish in three years in this event.
“We tried a bit too hard on the first day. We should have just stayed steady. But we really came back on the final day,” said Laurette Maritz.
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