Spain announced at the beginning of the week at Caves Valley Golf Club that they had the talent to win the International Crown.
They followed through on their prediction by besting the seven other countries in the first-ever match play event and capture the title as the best golf country in the world.
Belen Mozo won her match 3&2 over Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn on Sunday to earn the final two points for Spain and secure the win.
Carlotta Cigunda set the tone for the day for the Spanish team by blitzing Korea’s Na Yeon Choi 8-6 in the fourth match of the day.
Beatriz Recari also won two points for Spain by beating Sweden’s Mikaela Parmlid 3-2.
Spain’s fourth team member, Azahara Munoz made it a clean sweep and bested Japan’s Ai Miyazato 2-1.
Japan was the top point earner heading into the final singles matches on Sunday, but only Mika Miyazato was able to win her match and garnered the only points for the Japanese team.
Sweden finished runner-up in the International Crown with 11 points, four points behind the winners.
The powerful Korean team with Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, Na Yeon Choi and I.K. Kim were the No. 2 seed in the tournament at the start of the week. They finished the tournament with 10 points and tied with Japan.
Thailand finished fifth with nine points.
The big story of the week at the International Crown was No. 1 seed, Team USA failing to win a point on the first day and missed qualifying for the Sunday singles matches.
Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer all were ranked inside the top-12 in the Rolex Rankings, but only won six points out of a possible 12 in three days of four-ball matches.
They lost a wild card playoff with Korea on Saturday evening, when So Yeon Ryu and Inbee Park both birdied the first playoff hole. Kerr made a birdie at the par-5 to match the Koreans, but Thompson failed to convert her birdie and the Americans were forced to watch the proceedings on Sunday.
The inaugural International Crown brought a Ryder Cup flavor to the women’s game and will be highly anticipated when it is held again in 2016.