England's women’s team finished 4th at the World Team Championships in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, their highest-ever position in the competition.Caley McGintyLottie Woad (Farnham GC, Surrey), Charlotte Heath (Huddersfield GC, Yorkshire) and Caley McGinty (Knowle GC, Gloucestershire) performed with distinction at Abu Dhabi Golf Club as the trio put England in contention for the Espirito Santo Trophy on the final day, before eventually finishing 4th - beating their previous best of 7th. After a slow start on day one, England made excellent progress on day two as McGinty played beautifully with six birdies for a five-under-par 67, which was supported by a two-under-par 70 from Woad, whose round contained 16 consecutive pars and finished with two birdies. Friday witnessed Woad shoot three-under alongside Heath’s two-under as England moved into contention. Saturday was an opportunity to challenge, and Woad was soon four-under through six holes and with a birdie at the 9th, England were leading. At this point, Heath was two-under through nine holes and it was very much a case of pushing on, but a cruel turn of fate on 14 saw her ball pitch on a greenside water sprinkler, which resulted in a bogey and halted the momentum. Woad finished with 68 alongside Heath’s 72, as England narrowly missed out on a bronze medal. Their combined score of -16 was just one shy of Spain in 3rd, and two back of Chinese Taipei in 2nd. Republic of Korea were crowned champions with a score of -22. In the individual standings, Woad finished on -9 in a tie for 4th after shooting below par in three of her four rounds.Lottie WoadEngland's women’s Team Captain Becca Hembrough said: “The team prepared really well using the facilities at the Tommy Fleetwood Academy in Dubai, before heading to Abu Dhabi. We purposefully spent a lot of time on the greens as they were grainy, but also knew the importance of converting birdies at this event. “We wanted to be playing for a medal on the last day and the team put themselves into that position. I really feel for them and our coach Steve Robinson (National Women’s Team Coach) that we couldn’t keep the momentum going into the back-nine to push for the win, or at least a medal, but they should hold their heads high in what was a great effort. They showed that an England team can compete on the big stage to win, and I’m so proud of Charlotte, Caley and Lottie, and also Steve who has always worked tirelessly.” Meanwhile, England's men’s team finished tied-15th a week earlier in the Eisenhower Trophy, as Tyler Weaver (Bury St Edmunds GC, Suffolk), Barclay Brown (Hallamshire GC, Yorkshire) and Jack Bigham (Harpenden GC, Hertfordshire) gave it their all at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Individually, Weaver finished tied-17th in the 108-player field after finishing -8 across the four days, while Jack Bigham (-3) and Barclay Brown (+1) aided the trio’s combined final score of -14. USA finished as winners with an enormous -36, while Norway and Australia were joint-2nd on -26. England's men’s Team Captain Gareth Jenkins added: “I'm proud of the team’s attitude, commitment and work ethic throughout the tournament. In challenging conditions, the players stuck to their task well, gave themselves a lot of good chances and unfortunately we didn't make the most of the good play from tee to green. It’s always fine margins which make the difference in the world championships as all the teams are high-level. I'm sure the players have learned a lot and we've already started planning for Singapore 2025.”
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