Korea looks to defend title at Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown

Reigning champions Korea are set to compete against the seven best countries represented on the LPGA Tour at the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, a unique biennial team-format event that returns to the Tour after a 5-year hiatus due to Covid-19

The Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown poster [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Reigning champions Korea are set to compete against the seven best countries represented on the LPGA Tour at the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, a unique biennial team-format event that is returning to the Tour after a five-year hiatus due to Covid-19.

A total of 32 players from eight countries will compete at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco from Thursday through Sunday.

First established in 2014, the International Crown is an unusual team-format tournament in which the eight top countries, represented by the top four golfers from that country according to the Rolex Women’s World Rankings, compete against each other.

The eight countries that have qualified for the event based on the Rolex Rankings as of April 3 are the United States, Korea, Japan, Sweden, England, Thailand, Australia and China.

The countries have been split into two pools according to the average placement of their respective players on the Rolex World Rankings.

No. 1 United States, No. 4 Sweden, No. 5 England and No. 8 China will be in Pool A, while No. 2 Korea, No. 3 Japan, No. 6 Thailand and No. 7 Australia will compete in Pool B.

Australia, Japan, Thailand, the United States and Korea have all competed in the past three events, although Korea is the only country to have played in all rounds at every tournament — giving Korea the most matched, at 32, and the most wins, at 20, of any country.

Chun In-gee, center, celebrates with her teammates Park Sung-hyun, left, and Ryu So-yeon after their Pool A match against Taiwan in the first round of the UL International Crown golf tournament at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, in Incheon on Oct. 4, 2018. [AP/JOONGANG ILBO]

The first three days will be played as a four-ball competition where two-player teams compete with each player playing her own ball. The lower score of the two players is chosen as that side's score for the hole.

One point will be awarded for a win, a half-point for a tie and zero points for a loss. All points from the four-ball competitions will be cumulative and determine the top two countries in each pool.

The top two countries from each pool will then advance to the final round. Two semifinal matches will be played on Sunday morning, with each match consisting of two singles matches and one foursome match. Foursome matches are also called alternate shots as it is a form of play where two players form a team and play one ball in alternating order on each hole.

The winning semifinalists will compete in the final on Sunday afternoon, along with a third-place match between the two losing semifinalists. The final and third-place match will be played in the same format as the semifinals.

The last time the event was held in 2018, then called the UL International Crown, the Korean contingent of Chun In-gee, Kim In-kyung, Park Sung-hyun and Ryu So-yeon won the title on home soil at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, outplaying the United States and England, who tied for second.

Chun is the only Korean golfer from that team competing again in this year’s event, joined by Ko Jin-young, Kim Hyo-joo and Choi Hye-jin.

From left: Choi Hye-jin, Kim Hyo-joo, Ko Jin-young and Chun In-gee. [GETTY IMAGES]

Meanwhile, Team Japan features Nasa Hataoka, Ayaka Furue, Yuka Saso and Hinako Shibuno.

Team Thailand includes world No. 5 Atthaya Thitikul with Patty Tavatanakit, Moriya Jutanugarn and Ariya Jutanugarn.

Team Australia has a three-time International Crown participant Minjee Lee along with Hannah Green, Stephanie Kyriacou and Sarah Kemp.

“Well, for me, I think as long as I put in my 100 percent, and I know all the girls will, I have my full trust in them that they're going to bring their best and have a lot of fun,” Lee said during a pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.

Over in Pool A, the United States are the team in the tournament with two top-five golfers.

Team USA features Nelly Korda, who recently snatched the No. 1 position, joined by No. 4 Lilia Vu, who won the LPGA Chevron Championship — the first major of the year — on April 23, Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang.

The United States won the event once in 2016.

Sweden has never won the event, but Maja Stark, Madelene Sagstrom, Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall will fight this year to get their hands on the trophy.

The same goes for English golfers Jodi Ewart Shadof, Bronte Law, Alice Hewson and Liz Young as well as Chinese golfers Xiyu Lin, Ruoning Yin, Yu Liu and Ruixin Liu.

Inaugural 2014 champion Spain is not competing this year as the country did not qualify.

The return of the International Crown also marks the first time it has been played at TPC Harding Park, a venue that has never hosted a professional women’s competition.

Saso and Furue of Japan will first tee off against Thitikul and Tavatanakit of Thailand in a four-ball competition at 11:30 a.m.

Chun and Choi will then compete against Lee and Kyriacou of Australia at 12:15 p.m., followed by Kim and Ko, who are going up against another Australian duo Green and Kemp at 12:30 p.m.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]