DANISH GOLFERS WIN WORLD CUP
Philippines’ Tabuena-Que winds up 28th and last
MELBOURNE— Thorbjorn Olesen and Soren Kjeldsen proved the perfect blend of flamboyant youth and wily experience as they completed a shock triumph for Denmark at the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne Sunday.
The pair displayed tremendous poise under pressure to hold off their challengers by four strokes to accomplish the biggest feat in Denmark’s golfing history in the strokeplay team competition.
Denmark turned into the back nine at Kingston Heath with their four-shot overnight lead cut to just one, as a host of countries—including joint runners-up China, France and the US—queued up and waited for a stumble that never materialized.
The enigmatic 26-year-old Olesen and his veteran 41-year-old partner Kjeldsen instead played flawless fourball (better ball) golf as they made six birdies on the back nine to finish with a six-under 66 and a 20under par total of 268 to win by four strokes for their first ever World Cup triumph.
The Philippine tandem of Miguel Tabuena and Angelo Que closed their forgettable campaign with a 70 and wound up 28th and last.
Counting their earlier rounds of 77-6777, Tabuena-Que finished at three-over-par 291, a whopping 23 strokes away from the winners.
When Olesen secured the historic trophy with a birdie on the 18th, he raised his fist to the crowd before embracing his teammate Kjeldsen, who was playing in his sixth World Cup.
“We both came in good form this week and then we’ve just gelled so well,” Kjeldsen said before the pair hoisted the giant World Cup trophy. “We’ve had an incredible week here in Melbourne, and I think a friendship has been built as well.”
The $8 million event featured two-man teams from 28 countries and represented the biggest victory of each player’s career, with world No. 50 Kjeldsen and 70th-ranked Olesen both having won four times on the European Tour.
“It’s been amazing, I love Australia. I have won in Perth also, so I don’t know what it is about Australia,” Olesen said.