The
United States captured the title for the 14th time at the World
Amateur Team Championship as Steven Fox,
Justin Thomas and Chris Williams set a new record for
lowest 54-hole total with a 24-under-par 404. The team of AJGA alumni broke the
record of 407, set by the U.S. in 2004.
All
three Americans finished in the top 10, with Fox and Thomas tying for 10th
at 6-under-par, while Williams finished second, one stroke off the lead at
14-under-par.
With
14 victories at the international event, the United States holds the record for
most wins, although this is the first time an American team has won since 2004.
In 2010, France won the trophy in the four-day stroke play competition where
the American team of Peter Uihlein, David Chung and Scott
Langley finished third.
Fox, the U.S. Amateur champion,
earned top-10 finishes in his two AJGA starts before signing with the
University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. The senior golfer has earned nine top-10
finishes, including a win at the 2010 Furman Intercollegiate. A two-time All-Southern
Conference selection, Fox won the Tennessee Golf Association Match Play
Championship in 2011.
Thomas, who is No. 2 in the World
Amateur Rankings, was a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. He recorded
back-to-back wins at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior in 2008 and
2009. In 2009, he became the third youngest player to make the cut at a PGA
TOUR event when he made his TOUR debut at the Wyndham Championship after
earning an exemption through his win at the FJ Invitational.
A sophomore at the University of
Alabama, Thomas was recognized as the nations top collegiate golfer, winning
the 2012 Haskins Award and the 2012 Jack Nicklaus Award, in addition to
receiving the 2012 Phil Mickelson Award, which honors the top freshman in
Division I mens golf. He earned four collegiate victories during his freshman
season, including the 2012 NCAA Athens Regional.
No. 1 in the World Amateur Rankings,
Williams is the winningest player in the history of the University of
Washington mens golf program, with six wins on his record. He was a two-time
first-team All-American and received the Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year
Award in 2010. Williams has earned several amateur wins, including the 2011
Sahalee Players Championship, the 2011 Pacific Coast Amateur and the 2012
Western Amateur. Upon conclusion of the U.S. Amateur, Williams was awarded the
McCormack Medal, given to the top-ranked amateur golfer. He played in two AJGA
events, recording his best finish at the 2008 AJGA Junior Challenge where he
Conducted
by the International Golf Federation, the biennial competition has been played
since 1958 and featured 72 teams. The tournament was conducted at Antalya, Turkey. Due to rain, the event was shortened to 54 holes.
