Green wasted Jones' good work by pulling his fairway wood away to the right and almost on to the buggy track, from which position they could only make par. One last chance to stay in touch gone – when Australia went on to bogey 12 they would be out of contention for the trophy.
|
|
|
11th hole: Not an ideal place from which to make birdie – the Australian challenge fades.
|
Larrazabal, meanwhile, had managed somehow to hack the Spanish ball out of the woods and back onto the fairway. Jiminez made some amends by hitting the green with a terrific fairway wood, but once again it was 'only' a par, and crucially, the lead had been lost.
While this drama had been unfolding, Sweden had birdied 12, to move to -25. For once Spain produced regulation golf, Jiminez providing Larrazabal with a real opportunity to sink an eight-footer for birdie and keep Spain in touch, but again the putt was missed. Although the match was far from over, a critical point had been reached. Over the first twelve holes – two-thirds of the course - Sweden, playing beautifully, were seven-under for the day, and had turned a four-stroke deficit into a two-stroke lead on Spain, who were playing erratically and only one-under.
Sweden now birdied 14, and the lead stretched to three. Hole 15 is another crowd favourite; indeed the fairway and greenside were lined with spectators, both experts and novices. The hole curves round the lake in a vicious left dogleg that makes a second shot to the green a very long one indeed, and all over water.
Karlsson again provided a perfect tee-shot for his partner. Stenson responded in kind, with a three-wood that hit the green no more than seven or eight feet from the flag. Karlsson missed the eagle putt, but the birdie was secure, and this gave Sweden effectively a four-stroke advantage over Spain with the Spaniards having only four holes left to play.
|
|
|
Stenson hits a perfect 3-wood on 15 to set up an eight-foot eagle putt for his partner.
|
Barring catastrophic failure from Sweden, and something miraculous from Spain, the match was over. Karlsson and Stenson continued to deliver the goods, hitting fairway and green on 16, 17 and 18. They might have birdied any of the holes, but played them out in par, while a bogey never seemed remotely likely. Spain did make one final effort, with birdies on 15 and the par-3 17th, but they arrived on the 18th tee needing to hole out from the fairway for an eagle to tie the match. In fact they finished with a disappointing bogey, and Sweden were confirmed as worthy World Cup winners by a margin of three strokes.
