Helen Briem (IGF photo)
Helen Briem posted a 5-under 66 and teammate
Alexandra Forsterling shot a 1-under 70 as Germany bolted to a four-stroke lead over the USA and Chinese Taipei with a Round 3 score of 136 at Le Golf National which is the second lowest in Women’s World Amateur Team Championship history.
“It’s amazing. The girls were on fire today,” said German Captain Pia Gassner. “They played their hearts out. They played with gusto. They wanted it and held it together even when the last holes are so tough. They did such a great job.”
The Germans stand at 13-under par at 415 with the USA and Chinese Taipei sharing second at 419. Sweden, which held the 36-hole lead by two strokes over Germany and the USA, shot 143 and sits in fourth place.
Briem, who was a member of the victorious European team at the 2021 Junior Solheim Cup, birdied five of her first seven holes and finished with eight birdies against three bogeys.
“It is not often that you play with World No. 1 (Rose Zhang, USA) and No. 2
(Ingrid Lindblad) in one flight,” Briem said. “I was a little nervous at the start because there were so many people. After my start I felt much calmer and went low.”
Gassner felt that an unassuming attitude coming into the WWATCs played in her team’s favor.
“Sometimes when you don’t have expectations that’s the best thing,” she said. “You don’t put pressure on yourself. They just went out and played and played well. Now, we must manage expectations for tomorrow.
Rose Zhang of the USA, who shot a 2-under 69, had a positive perspective of her team’s position.
“We just have stay steady and have the mindset that we are trailing but we have the skill set and the mental fortitude to push forward,” said the three-time Mark H. McCormack Award winner. “We are better coming from behind and this is team play. I don’t think anything is impossible. I have full faith in my teammates.”
Spain moved up to fourth, followed by France and Japan tied for sixth. Canada is eighth and Australia, England and Scotland are tied for ninth.
ABOUT THE Women's World Amateur Team
In 1958 the United States Golf Association asked
The R&A to join them in sponsoring a world-wide
amateur golf team event to be played biennially
in non-Walker Cup years. Between 35 and 40
nations were represented at the first meeting
and President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented
the trophy which bears his name. The committee
of the event was to be known as the World
Amateur Golf Council and is now the
International Golf Federation. Teams of four
players from each country competed over 72
holes with the leading three scores from each
round to count. The first competition was held
between 29 nations at St Andrews, with Australia
beating the United States in a play-off. In 2002
the format changed to teams of three with the
two leading scores to count.
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