SCORESHEET

November 27th 2016, Melbourne, Australia: Denmark won the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf for the first time as Søren Kjeldsen and Thorbjørn Olesen claimed a thrilling four-shot victory at Kingston Heath Golf Club.

The Danes had been a dominant force all week, with a stunning round of 60 in the fourballs on Friday helping them take a four-shot lead into a final day where they would be playing the same format.

They did not have it all their own way, though, and the lead was cut to one shot on the back nine as the United States and China kept applying the pressure and France and Sweden made surging late charges.

A run of five birdies in six holes from the tenth was to reassert the Danish dominance, however, and Kjeldsen and Olesen finished at 20 under after a closing 66.

The French duo of Victor Dubuisson and Romian Langasque shared second with China - represented by Ashun Wu and Li Haotong - and the United States duo of Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker.

Alex Noren and David Lingmerth combined for a brilliant closing 62 to finish five back for Sweden.

The win completes excellent seasons for Kjeldsen and Olesen, with both finishing in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex and the latter extending his streak of winning seasons on the European Tour to three with victory at the Turkish Airlines Open.

Denmark's previous best finish at the World Cup had been in 2001 when Thomas Bjørn and Soren Hansen finished in a tie for second, and for Kjeldsen it was a first victory in his sixth appearance, while Olesen was making his third.

Kjeldsen and Olsen could only turn in level par and when Li made a birdie on the tenth, the lead was briefly cut to just one shot.

A 12-foot right-to-lefter on the tenth from Kjeldsen reopened the gap but a Wu birdie on the 11th cut it again before Olesen hit back from eight feet.

The Chinese at that point looked like the main threat but the United States had also birdied the tenth and 12th with France and Sweden on the birdie trail.

The Swedes had turned in 31 and birdied the tenth before rattling off four in a row from the 12th as both Noren and Lingmerth got the putter going, with Dubuisson doing the damage for France, who also turned in 31.

After taking advantage of the par five 12th, he put an approach tight to the 13th, produced a brilliant chip on the next and then put his tee-shot close on the 15th.

Noren holed from the fringe on the 17th and when Fowler made a birdie on the 13th, France, Sweden and the United States were all within one shot of the lead.

Olesen followed Fowler in, however, and then found another gear. He played a beautiful second and exquisite chip to birdie the par five 14th and then put his tee-shot to 12 feet for another birdie on the 15th and a four-shot lead.

Dubuisson birdied the last and the United States and China picked up further birdies, but the job was done, with Olesen applying the gloss on the last.

Italy and Japan finished at 14 under, a shot clear of Spain and three ahead of Australia and Ireland.