The United States swept China in fourball matches Thursday to open the LPGA’s International Crown tournament, while world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul continued her perfect run in the team competition.
Thitikul and Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand edged Hannah Green and Grace Kim of Australia, 1 up, at New Korea Country Club. It marked Thitikul’s sixth straight win at the event, an impressive streak for the six-time LPGA winner who claimed victories this season at the Mizuho Americas Open and in Shanghai just two weeks ago.
Thailand and Australia split their day’s points after Minjee Lee and Steph Kyriacou beat Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen and Jasmine Suwannapura, 2 up, in the other match.
The Americans were the only team to win both their matches. Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin dominated Yan Liu and Ruoning Yin of China, 5 and 4, while Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin secured a narrow 1-up victory over Weiwei Zhang and Liu Ruixin.
The World team earned 1.5 points against Japan after some late heroics. Charley Hull and Lydia Ko birdied the final hole to salvage a tie with Rio Takeda and Miyu Yamashita. Ko delivered when it mattered most, burying a 25-foot birdie putt on 18.
“Charley holed so many good birdie putts that kept the match going, and I just came for the ride for the last two,” Ko said. “The only way I thought we were going to extend the match was for me to hole the putt on 17.”
Brooke Henderson and Wei-Ling Hsu added a full point for the World team with a 2-and-1 comeback win over Ayaka Furue and Mao Saigo.
Host South Korea starts strong
The host nation also collected 1.5 points. Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi handled Sweden’s Maja Stark and Linn Grant, 3 and 2, while Jin Young Ko and Haeran Ryu finished tied with Ingrid Lindblad and Madelene Sagstrom.
The tournament features seven countries plus a “rest of the world” team competing in two pools. The U.S., China, Australia and Thailand make up Pool A, while South Korea, the World team, Japan and Sweden comprise Pool B. Teams were determined by the women’s world rankings.
The World team’s inclusion allows standout players like Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Henderson of Canada to participate despite their countries not qualifying independently.
Fourball matches continue Friday and Saturday. The top two countries from each pool advance to Sunday’s semifinals and finals, which will feature one foursomes (alternate shot) and two singles matches per contest.
Thitikul stands as the only player in the field who has won this event before, having helped Thailand claim the 2023 International Crown at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
The tournament is part of the LPGA’s Asian swing, which continues next week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before wrapping up in Shiga, Japan from Nov. 6-9. Sei Young Kim won last week’s BMW Ladies Championship, also held in South Korea.
