Sweden pip Spain to World Cup glory

Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson were the men of the moment as Sweden fought back from a three shot deficit to secure a fantastic World Cup victory at Mission Hills in China.

The Swedes manages to see off the challenge of Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal by firing an impressive nine-under 63 in the final round of the tournament.

Before the tournament had got underway, the golf odds heavily favoured a victory for Sweden. However, going into the final day, they trailed Spain and Australia by four shots, making their win all the more dramatic.

Karlsson and Stenson recorded five early birdies to storm their way up the leader board and from this moment – they never looked back. Australia were out of the running because of a poor final round and Sweden managed a further four birdies on the back nine to see off the challenge of Spain.

Speaking about the victory, Karlsson and Stenson – who were the highest ranked players in the tournament – both admitted that winning for their country was ‘nice’.

In terms of the rest of the leader board, Japan and Australia finished tied for third, Germany settled for fifth place and England managed 6th place despite a rather frustrating final round in China.

As for the USA, well they finished 9th after Ben Curtis and Brandt Snedeker shot a final round of 73 to leave them 14 shots of the lead. Perhaps the most surprising element of the day though was that Scotland – who were the defending champions – finished tied for 19th place.

The day belonged to Sweden though and their ever impressive duo of Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson. They showed their quality on the final day to continue a fine season for them both.

By Thomas Rooney – A sports writer who blogs about golf betting