December Results: USA win month, France second, Norway third
The USA won the month of December in the 2017 Global Cup, the annual ranking of the world's best sporting nations.
They scored 313 points after dominating the final US PGA Tour rankings in Golf, coming second in the Ten Pin Bowling World Championships, fourth in the Weightlifting World Championships and also scoring points in the World Surf League.
France continued their late charge and came second in the month with 291 points, winning the Women’s Handball World Championship and also scoring points at the Weightlifting World Championships, the World Squash Championship and the Body Boarding World Tour.
Norway finished third with 192 points after coming second at the Women’s Handball World Championship.
Taiwan (who won the Ten Pin Bowling World Championships, a first for them), the Netherlands, Colombia, Australia, Great Britain, Denmark and South Korea rounded out the Top Ten for December.
The full ranking for the month – in which 60 countries scored points - is set out below.
GLOBAL CUP – MONTH OF DECEMBER 2017
|
Place
|
Country
|
Points
|
Points %
|
|
1
|
United States
|
313
|
7.9%
|
|
2
|
France
|
291
|
7.3%
|
|
3
|
Norway
|
192
|
4.8%
|
|
4
|
Taiwan
|
182
|
4.6%
|
|
5
|
Netherlands
|
170
|
4.3%
|
|
6
|
Colombia
|
166
|
4.2%
|
|
7
|
Australia
|
163
|
4.1%
|
|
8
|
Great Britain
|
152
|
3.8%
|
|
9
|
Denmark
|
138
|
3.5%
|
|
10
|
South Korea
|
134
|
3.4%
|
|
11
|
Sweden
|
130
|
3.3%
|
|
12
|
Thailand
|
120
|
3.0%
|
|
13
|
Japan
|
119
|
3.0%
|
|
14
|
Egypt
|
118
|
3.0%
|
|
15
|
Russia
|
96
|
2.4%
|
|
16
|
Iran
|
88
|
2.2%
|
|
17
|
Spain
|
87
|
2.2%
|
|
18
|
Malaysia
|
86
|
2.2%
|
|
19
|
Canada
|
62
|
1.6%
|
|
20
|
Georgia
|
60
|
1.5%
|
|
21
|
Montenegro
|
60
|
1.5%
|
|
22
|
Germany
|
57
|
1.4%
|
|
23
|
Fiji
|
57
|
1.4%
|
|
24
|
Tonga
|
55
|
1.4%
|
|
25
|
Hong kong
|
53
|
1.3%
|
|
26
|
Mexico
|
48
|
1.2%
|
|
27
|
Ecuador
|
46
|
1.2%
|
|
28
|
Vietnam
|
46
|
1.2%
|
|
29
|
New Zealand
|
46
|
1.2%
|
|
30
|
Chile
|
39
|
1.0%
|
|
31
|
Finland
|
38
|
1.0%
|
|
32
|
Uzbekistan
|
38
|
1.0%
|
|
33
|
Brazil
|
36
|
0.9%
|
|
34
|
Poland
|
36
|
0.9%
|
|
35
|
Singapore
|
35
|
0.9%
|
|
36
|
Albania
|
34
|
0.9%
|
|
37
|
Turkmenistan
|
32
|
0.8%
|
|
38
|
Indonesia
|
32
|
0.8%
|
|
39
|
Latvia
|
28
|
0.7%
|
|
40
|
Czech Republic
|
28
|
0.7%
|
|
41
|
Romania
|
26
|
0.7%
|
|
42
|
Samoa
|
25
|
0.6%
|
|
43
|
Lebanon
|
25
|
0.6%
|
|
44
|
Papua New Guinea
|
25
|
0.6%
|
|
45
|
South Africa
|
21
|
0.5%
|
|
46
|
India
|
20
|
0.5%
|
|
47
|
Italy
|
20
|
0.5%
|
|
48
|
Philippines
|
18
|
0.5%
|
|
49
|
Lithuania
|
16
|
0.4%
|
|
50
|
Portugal
|
12
|
0.3%
|
|
51
|
Dominican Republic
|
12
|
0.3%
|
|
52
|
Qatar
|
10
|
0.3%
|
|
53
|
Estonia
|
8
|
0.2%
|
|
54
|
Venezuela
|
8
|
0.2%
|
|
55
|
Bulgaria
|
6
|
0.2%
|
|
56
|
Saudi Arabia
|
6
|
0.2%
|
|
57
|
Peru
|
4
|
0.1%
|
|
58
|
Puerto Rico
|
2
|
0.1%
|
|
59
|
Algeria
|
2
|
0.1%
|
|
60
|
Hungary
|
2
|
0.1%
|
|
|
Grand Total
|
3,978
|
100.0%
|
