ENTRIES – With 48 teams entered, the 2008 championship has tied an Espirito Santo record for the most participating countries. Previously, the record was 48 in 2004 in Puerto Rico.

RETURN TO AUSTRALIA – The World Amateur Team Championships will be conducted in Australia for the second time. In Melbourne in 1968, Victoria Golf Club hosted the Women’s World Amateur and Royal Melbourne Golf Club’s composite course hosted the World Amateur Team Championship. The only other counties to host two World Amateurs are France (1964 and 1994) and the USA (1960 and 1980).

LONGEST COURSE – At 6,260 yards/5,724 meters, the East Course at The Grange Golf Club is tied for the longest course in championship history. In 1966, Mexico City Country Club also measured the same distance.

FIRST TIME ENTRIES – Two countries – Cook Islands and Latvia – are competing in their first Espirito Santo competition.

ESPIRITO SANTO SUCCESS, PART I – In the history of the Espirito Santo competition, the USA leads with 17 medals (13 gold) followed by France with 11 (2 gold); Great Britain and Ireland with 7; Sweden with five and Australia and Spain with four each. In the 22 previous competitions, only 16 different countries have won medals, a tribute to the spirit of good will and friendship under which the competition was organized.

ESPIRITO SANTO SUCCESS, PART II – Sweden is the most consistently successful nation in the competition. In 22 past WWATCs, the Swedes have placed in the top 10 in EVERY competition. The USA has been in the top 10 21 times and France 19.

HOST NATION SUCCESS – The host nation has won the Espirito Santo Trophy three times, most recently in South Africa in 2006. France won the inaugural event in 1964 and the USA won in 1980. Three times the host nation has finished second: Australia in 1968; Sweden in 1988 and New Zealand in 1990.

AUSTRALIA IN ASIA PACIFIC ZONE – The Women’s World Amateur Team Championships are being played in the Asia-Pacific zone for seventh time. In those previous six championships, Australia has won twice (1978 in Fiji and 2002 in Malaysia). The 2008 host nation was second in 1968 when the WWATC was played at Victoria G.C.; fifth in New Zealand in 1990 and 12th in 1996 in the Philippines.

MOST TIMES PARTICIPATING -- Maria Olivero, 34, of Argentina, is playing in her 10th consecutive Women’s World Amateur – the most of any golfer in the field. She is tied for third in most all-time appearances with Liv Wollin of Sweden behind Marina Ragher Buscaini of Italy (12) and Elisabeth Nickhorn of Brazil (13). Olivero and Wollin are the only players to compete in 10 consecutive championships.

OLDEST AND YOUNGEST -- Sereana Phillipps, 53, of Fiji is the oldest competitor. Thirteen-year-olds Klara Spilkova of Czech Republic, Elmay Viking of Cook Islands and Violetta Siozou of Greece are the youngest. Phillipps works in the Argentine Embassy in Masterson, New Zealand but holds Fijian citizenship.

COLLEGE ALL-AMERICANS IN THE FIELD – A total of 18 players in the field earned All-American honors at colleges in the USA.

Austria - Stefanie Endstrasser (Southern California)

Canada - Maude Aimee LeBlance (Purdue); Stephanie Sherlock (Denver)

Colombia - Maria Jose Uribe (California-Los Angeles); Paola Morena (Southern California)

Denmark - Therese Kolbaeck (Nevada-Las Vegas)

England - Jodi Ewart (New Mexico)

Ireland - Danielle McVeigh (Texas A&M)

Netherlands - Dewi Claire Schreefel (Southern California); Christina Boeljon (Purdue)

Scotland - Krystle Caithness (Georgia)

Spain - Belen Mozo (Southern California); Azahara Munoz (Arizona State)

Sweden - Anna Nordqvist (Arizona State); Pernilla Lindberg (Oklahoma State)

USA - Amanda Blumenherst (Duke); Tiffany Joh (California-Los Angeles); Alison Walshe (Arizona)

FIVE PLAYERS ADVANCE IN LPGA QUALIFYING SCHOOL – Mika Miyazato, 18, of Japan, Paola Moreno, 23, of Colombia, Anna Nordqvist, 21, of Sweden, Dewi Claire Schreefel, 22, of the Netherlands and Alison Walshe, 23, of the USA advanced to the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School with their performances at sectional qualifying.  Miyazato won the Junior Worlds in 2006 at age 16. Moreno was a member of Southern California’s NCAA championship team in 2008. Nordqvist, who was second at her sectional qualifying site, won the 2008 British Match Play Championship and made the cut at the Ricoh British Open. Scheefel won the National Collegiate Athletic Association individual championship in 2006. Walshe was a member of the victorious 2008 USA Curtis Cup team.

INDIVIDUAL STORYLINES (by nation)

AUSTRALIA

Stephanie Na, 19, of Port Adelaide, is the reigning Australian Amateur Stroke Play champion, which she won at Glenelg Golf Club in April. Her lowest competitive score is 11-under 61 at the West Course of The Grange Golf Club in May of 2008. She attends Adelaide University and was club champion at The Grange in 2004. She also won the South Australian Amateur in 2008 and was co-medalist (with USA player Amanda Blumenherst) and a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in the USA in August.

AUSTRIA

Stephanie Endstrasser, 21, of Waidring, is a member of the 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I champion team from the University of Southern California. She is playing in her third Women’s World Amateur.

BRAZIL

Mariana de Biase, 25, of Rio De Janiero, is a hedge fund analyst in an investment management company. She was a four-time first-team All-American for a four-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II champion at Rollins (Florida) College.

CANADA

Captain Mary Ann Lapointe played in eight Espirito Santo competitions.

COLOMBIA

Paola Morena, 23, played on the 2008 NCAA champion team from the University of Southern California . She was a first-team All-American in 2007.

Maria Jose Uribe, 18, of Bucaramanga, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur championship in 2007. She was a first-team All-American at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2008 as a freshman. In 2008, she played in the U.S. Women’s Open (where she finished T10th and was the low amateur), the Ricoh Women’s British Open (T75), Kraft Nabisco (T58) and McDonald’s Championships (missed the cut).

COOK ISLANDS

Naomi George, 25, is a case manager for the Ministry of Social Development and a part-time worker at a sports bar. She is a second dan black belt in the Japan Karate Association.

ENGLAND

Julie Otto, the English captain, has a long tenure in golf. She played in three Women’s World Amateurs, five Curtis Cup Matches and is a two-time Ladies British Open Amateur champion. She worked for four years at The Ladies Golf Union at St. Andrews, Scotland and then for seven years at assistant director of Rules at The R&A. She resigned in 2007 to ‘look after a young family.’ Dr. Steve Otto, director of research and testing at the R&A, is her husband. They have a young son.

GERMANY

Ulrike Eichler is serving as captain at her fifth consecutive Women’s World Amateur.

GUATEMALA

Captain Beatriz de Arenas is participating in her eighth Women’s World Amateur. This is her second time as captain. She is an artist, specializing in oil painting.

HONG KONG

Twin sisters Demi and Ginger Mak, 17, are representing their country. Demi won the Hong Kong Ladies Amateur in 2008 after Ginger had won in 2006 and 2007. They are 11th graders at the International School of Macau.

LATVIA

Captain Santa Puce was co-captain of the Latvian women’s ice hockey team that won the gold medal of Pool B of the 1993 European Championships. She was a hostess at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games at the Hospitality House, where Latvian spectators could meet their country’s athletes.

The Puisite sisters (Krista, 17 and Mara, 16) will represent Latvia. Krista won the 2008 Latvian Amateur and Mara was the runner-up.

NEW ZEALAND

Natasha Krishna, 20, of Wellington, won the 2008 South Australian Stroke Play at The Grange at 2-under-par 294.

NORWAY

Captain Geir Ove Berg was a member of the Norwegian Ski Jumping Team and National Coach for that discipline. He was the world record holder in Ski Flying in 1976.

SCOTLAND

Captain Fiona Norris is the sister of Mhairi McKay, who plays on the LPGA Tour in the USA. She met her husband Patrick at the 1992 World Student Golf Championships when he was playing for Ireland and she was playing for Great Britain.

SINGAPORE

Christabel Goh, 19, of Singapore is playing in her first Women’s World Amateur. She can type text messages without looking at the keypad of the phone and made it to the semifinals of a texting competition.

SPAIN

All three members of the Spanish team played together in 2006, making them the only trio to repeat. Azahara Munoz, 20, of Malaga, is the 2008 NCAA Women’s individual champion and she played for Arizona State. Carlota Ciganda, 18, of Pamplona, is a freshman at Arizona State. Belen Mozo, 19, of Cadiz, is a member of the NCAA-title winning team at the University of Southern California. She finished fourth individually.  All three players were quarterfinalists at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Ciganda lost to eventual champion Amanda Blumenherst (playing for the USA). Munoz eliminated Mozo in the semifinals and Munoz was the runner-up.

SWEDEN

Pernilla Lindberg, 22, of Bollnas, is a two-time USA college All-American at Oklahoma State University. She was an alpine skier until she was 16.

CHINESE TAIPEI

Captain Brent Davis is also the national coach for Chinese Taipei. He was born in Canberra and holds Australian citizenship.

WALES

Breanne Loucks, 20, of Wrexham, models for a hairdressing company. She was on the 2006 and 2008 Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup teams.