SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – The International Crown, an LPGA match-play competition, will feature a new team of global stars for this year’s edition in South Korea, organizers said Thursday.
Team World, to be made up of one player each from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa and Oceania, will go up against seven national teams when the 2025 International Crown is played from Oct. 23 to 26 at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province.
This will give players who have not competed at the International Crown, first held in 2014, a chance to test their mettle against their rivals, the event organizers said.
National teams will be represented by their top four players in the world rankings. The combined number of the players’ ranking positions will be the team ranking points, and the country with the lowest total will be the top seed. The top seven countries in the points as of June 23 will qualify for the International Crown, and the final field of 32 players, including four for Team World, will be selected based on the rankings on Aug. 4.
The United States, boasting four players inside the top 15, is the current leader with 35 points, followed by South Korea with 53 points. Two-time winner Ryu Hae-ran is the top South Korean player at No. 7.
Among those eligible for the world team, Lydia Ko of New Zealand, world No. 3 and 2024 Olympic gold medalist, will likely qualify for her first International Crown. Ko, a South Korean native, has long been a huge fan favorite in the country of her birth.
Brooke Henderson of Canada, a 13-time LPGA winner with two major titles, could also make her International Crown debut this fall. Celine Boutier of France and Chien Peiyun of Chinese Taipei are among others seeking their first appearance.
The eight teams will be divided into two pools. The first three days will feature fourball matches, in which players will each play their own balls. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the final stage on Oct. 26.
The semifinal matches will be played in the final morning. Each semifinal match will consist of two singles matches and one foursomes match, where golfers will take turns playing one ball per team. The third-place match and the final will be in the afternoon, taking the same format as the semifinals.
The four editions so far have produced four different champions — Spain in 2014, the United States in 2016, South Korea in 2018 and Thailand in 2023.
After the first two events were held in the United States, South Korea hosted the 2018 edition of the International Crown in Incheon, just west of Seoul. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and made its return in 2023 in Thailand.
The International Crown is sponsored by Lifeplus, a joint brand of financial affiliates for the South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group, including Hanwha Life and Hanwha Investment & Securities.
(Yonhap)