United States Dominates First Day of LPGA International Crown
In the exciting LPGA International Crown tournament, held in Goyang, South Korea, the United States team demonstrated their prowess by defeating China in two four-ball matches during the first day. Simultaneously, the world number one, Jeeno Thitikul, maintained her perfect streak in this team competition. Thitikul, along with her compatriot Pajaree Anannarukarn from Thailand, defeated Hannah Green and Grace Kim from Australia with a score of 1 up at the New Korea Country Club. This victory marked Thitikul’s sixth consecutive win in the tournament. The day also saw Australia’s Minjee Lee and Steph Kyriacou defeat Chanettee Wannasaen and Jasmine Suwannapura, splitting the points with Thailand. Americans Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin crushed China’s Liu Yan and Yin Ruoning with a resounding 5 and 4, while Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin defeated Zhang Weiwei and Liu Ruixin by 1 up. The United States stood out as the only team to win both initial matches. The Japan team led against the World team in the first holes of both four-ball matches, but Charley Hull and Lydia Ko managed to tie with Rio Takeda and Miyu Yamashita thanks to a birdie on the last hole. Subsequently, Brooke Henderson and Wei-Ling Hsu rallied to secure a 2 and 1 victory over Ayaka Furue and Mao Saigo, adding 1.5 points against their opponents.The host team, South Korea, got off to a good start when Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi defeated Sweden’s Maja Stark and Linn Grant by 3 and 2, and Jin Young Ko and Haeran Ryu tied with Ingrid Lindblad and Madelene Sagstrom. The tournament format includes seven countries and a “Rest of the World” team, competing in two groups: United States, China, Australia, and Thailand in Group A, and South Korea, the World team, Japan, and Sweden in Group B. The teams and their players were determined according to the women’s world ranking. The incorporation of the World team allows the participation of players like Ko from New Zealand and Henderson from Canada in the tournament. The four-ball matches will continue on Friday and Saturday. The two best countries from each group will advance to the semi-finals and the final on Sunday, which will consist of a foursomes (alternate shot) and two singles matches. Thitikul, a member of the winning Thai team in 2023 at the International Crown at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, is the only player in the event who has won the tournament. She has achieved six victories on the LPGA Tour, including wins this season at the Mizuho Americas Open and the Shanghai tournament two weeks ago. The LPGA’s Asian tour continues in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next week and will conclude in Shiga, Japan, from November 6 to 9.The only way I thought we were going to extend the match was if I holed the putt on 17. At both distances, it’s not a guaranteed birdie at all, but I felt like I shouldn’t disappoint the team. Charley holed so many good birdie putts that kept the match going, and I just came to enjoy the ride in the last two holes.
Lydia Ko
