Host Korea among 7 countries to qualify for LPGA match-play event
This composite photo provided by the LPGA on Tuesday, shows top-ranked players — from left are Nelly Korda, Ryu Hae-ran and Mao Saigo. Yonhap
The host Korea is among seven nations to have qualified for an LPGA match-play event scheduled for this fall.
The LPGA announced Monday (U.S. local time) that Korea, the United States, Japan, Thailand, Sweden, Australia and China will compete in the Oct. 23-26 International Crown.
New Korea Country Club in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, will host the four-day match-play competition, which was first held in 2014.
The seven national teams were chosen based on the combined number of the world ranking position for their top four players, with the country having the lowest total as of Monday grabbing the top seed.
This year's event will also feature a brand new Team World, to be made up of one player each from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa and Oceania. Its lineup, as well as those for the seven countries, will be determined based on the rankings on Aug. 4, following the conclusion of the AIG Women's Open.
The U.S. team, led by world No. 1 Nelly Korda, took the top seed with 34 points, followed by Korea (53 points), Japan (74 points), Thailand (88 points), Sweden (115 points), Australia (128 points) and China (256 points).
Korea's top four players at the moment are: Ryu Hae-ran (No. 5), Kim Hyo-joo (No. 9), Ko Jin-young (No. 15) and Choi Hye-jin (No. 24). Kim, Ko and Choi were teammates on the 2023 team that finished tied for fifth, while Ryu has never played at an International Crown.
Kim, who has won back-to-back Ladies European Tour titles at New Korea Country Club, said she couldn't wait to represent the country at one of her favorite courses.
"Last time we played the International Crown, it was in America. This time, it's in Korea and it's at a golf course that I personally like. I'm really looking forward to it and I think it will be a lot of fun," she said in a statement released by the LPGA. "Representing your country, whether that is at the Olympics or at International Crown, means I'm playing with Korea's flag instead of a sponsor logo. That's a very proud moment and I think it will be very exciting."
Teams seeded 1, 4, 5 and 8 will be in Pool A, and seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7 will compete in Pool B. After fourball matches from Oct. 23 to 25, the top two teams from each pool will move on to the semifinals scheduled for the morning of Oct. 26, with the two pool winners each playing the runners-up from the opposing pool in two singles matches and one foursome match. The final is set for the afternoon of the same day, taking the same format as the semifinals.
The four editions of the International Crown so far have produced four different champions — Spain in 2014, the U.S. in 2016, Korea as the host nation in 2018 and Thailand in 2023. The 2020 event was wiped out due to COVID-19.