Women's World Cup at Sun City, South Africa

SCOTS FINISH JOINT 4th

AS PARAGUAY WIN BY

SEVEN STROKES

Scotland's Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay signed off with a better-than-average better-ball round of four-under-par 68 to finish joint fourth with Italy in the Women's World Cup of Golf at Gary Player Country Club, Sun City in South Africa today.

Janice and Mhairi totalled level par 288 - to finish nine strokes behind the runaway winners, Paraguay's Celeste Troche (25) and Juliete Granada (20), left-right in the picture, who had seven shots to spare at the finish from runners-up United States (Juli Inkster and Pat Hurst).

Janice partnered Catriona Matthew to second place behind the Swedes in last year's World Cup. Both players have since had babies, Catriona's the more recent and she is taking an extended break from the LPGA Tour.

The Paraguay pair, who led from start to finish, showed their class by producing the best better-ball score of the final day - a seven-under-par 65 which gave them a final total of nine-under4 279.

The Americans finished with a 67 for 286 - one shot ahead of third-placed South Korea.

INVERNESS-BASED PLAYER

Liz McKinnon, who lives were her Scottish husband near Inverness, was a member of the New Zealand team who finished joint 10th on 296.

Defending champions Sweden were obviously not the same team without Annika Sorenstam and there was never much likelihood of them winning the trophy two years in a row. But one felt that Helen Alfredsson and Carin Koch might have finished higher up than 18th in the field of 22 with a total of 308.

Wales (Becky Morgan and Becky Brewerton) claimed eighth spot on 294, one shot and one place ahead of England's Laura Davies and Trish Johnson.

Ireland did not have a good tournament. Rebecca Coakley and Hazel Kavanagh did not play anywhere near their best in totalling 315 to finish second last in 21st place.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4 x 72)

279 Paraguay 139 75 65.

286 United States 149 70 67.

287 South Korea 143 77 67.

288 Scotland 145 76 68, Italy 145 73 71.

291 Australia 148 74 69.

293 Taiwan 150 77 66.
294 Wales 148 78 68.
295 England 154 74 67.

296 Finland 150 72 74, New Zealand 146 77 73.

297 Brazil 154 72 71
299 France 157 73 69.
300 Denmark 149 83 68, Japan 155 78 67.
301 South Africa 157 78 66, Spain 155 80 66.
308 Sweden 157 81 70.
313 Germany 165 73 75, Norway 160 75 78.
315 Ireland 160 80 75.
339 Kenya 169 91 79.