Sunday morning’s semi-final showdown with Thailand was a microcosm of the week for Team USA at the International Crown. The Americans displayed solid if less-than-spectacular golf that caught up with them on the last hole of the last match at TPC Harding Park.

Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang fought back from a 2-down deficit in their foursomes match against Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, but a birdie-birdie finish gave the Thai sisters a 1-up victory. Combined with the point earned by Atthaya Thitikul in a 3&2 singles win over Lexi Thompson, Team Thailand had the two points needed to advance to the finals and face Australia, a 3-0 winner in their semi-final match with Sweden.

“Obviously a little disappointed,” Korda said. “I can only speak for myself, not being in the final. But I think we played well. Danielle and I shot three under an alternate shot. That’s tough to do. [The Jutanugarn] sisters just played super well today, and I think overall, even Lilia and I paired up the first three days, we had so much fun, and we played solid golf, too.

“We wish some more putts were dropped. But overall, I think our performance has been pretty good, and it’s a way for us to build going to Solheim too.”

Painting inspires this LPGA major winner to raise money for her foundation — and find balance in her life

A slumbering Sunday with tee times before 8am local time resulted in a slow start for Team USA. The Americans were at least 2-down through five holes in all three their matches, Lilia Vu facing Patty Tavatanakit in singles in the match-play contest. But once again, that had been the story of the week: the US led for only 10 holes of 81 played on the opening side.

“The first five holes, there’s three par 5s, so if you don’t kind of take advantage of it and the opponents take advantage of those, then you are going to be 2, 3 or even 1-down,” Korda explained. “After that, the course gets pretty tough. It is a tight golf course, and pars win sometimes, so you just kind of have to keep your head up and know that there are more opportunities out there.”

Thompson could win just one hole against Thitikul, with her last singles match victory on the LPGA shockingly dating back to the 2013 Solheim Cup, a 4&3 win against Europe’s Caroline Masson.

Vu, however, turned things around against Tavatanakit (her former UCLA teammate) by winning three of four holes from Nos. 11 to 14, eventually pulling out a 1-up victory. It was first time anyone had beaten Thailand all week, and allowing everything to come down to the alternate-shot match.

Tied through 16 holes, the Jutanugarn sisters regained the lead with a birdie on the par-3 17th. Both teams reached the par-5 18th in two shots, as Korda’s 30-foot eagle putt slipped hard left in front of the cup. A two-putt from the Jutanugarns sealed their victory and a loss for the Americans.

“They’re a tough team, but we’re here to play, as well,” Tavatanakit said. “Even though we might be the lower-ranked team. But at the end of the day, we start from hole 1 to hole 18. It’s all equal game.”

The Americans remained jovial after the semi-final loss. They joked about who should answer questions at the press conference. Despite not winning, they felt grateful to play wearing the US flag and hopeful to pull out the consolation match in the afternoon against Sweden.

“Anytime you can be able to tee up and represent your country, it’s the highest honor you can possibly have, and to be alongside these girls, they’ve been amazing,” Thompson said. “We’ve had a lot of fun. Today wasn’t how we planned, but we did our best, and they played some great golf.”

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Over four days, the foursome of Atthaya Thitikul, Patty Tavatanakit and sisters Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn made a litany of history as the team match-play event returned to the LPGA schedule for the first time in five years. They were the first team to sweep pool play. Their 11 collective wins (out of 12 overall matches) was the most of any country in any of the three previous editions of the event. They were the lowest seed (six) to ever win, besting Spain as a five-seed in inaugural crown 2014.

“We’ve been waiting for this since 2014, our first time playing in the event,” Ariya Jutanugarn said. “Finally, we got what we have been working for.”

And it was truly a team effort, Thitkul building up momentum in her singles match with Australia’s Stephanie Kyraciou, taking the lead for good on the back nine and winning 4&2 to remain undefeated on the week.

In the second singles match, Tavatanakit won the second hole against Hannah Green and didn’t surrender the lead, cruising to a 4&3 victory over arguably the hottest player on the LPGA Tour to guarantee the victory over the Aussies.

Fittingly in the anchor match, the Jutanugarn sisters did the Jutanugarn sisters thing. Starting a bit slowly after going 18 holes in the morning before beating Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang, 1 up, to close out the Americans in the semifinals, Moriya and Ariya won four straight holes from Nos. 7 to 10 against Minjee Lee and Sarah Kemp. For good measure, Ariya, already aware her team had won the Crown, chipped in on the 15th to close out a 4&3 win and start the celebration. She earned the first-ever MVP trophy at the Crown.

In a sign of Thailand’s brilliance, Australia only held the lead for six holes between the three finals matches. “We are one of the best team in the world,” Atthaya Thitikul said. “And I think we can be there with [any] team in the world.”

Thailand’s toughest test on Sunday came against the US in the morning semi-finals session. Thitikul beat Lexi Thompson handily, but Tavatanakit’s loss to Lilia Vu put the pressure on the Jutanugarn sisters. The Thai siblings sat tied on the 17th, delivering a birdie-birdie finish to win.

“They’re [Team USA] great players, but at the end of the day, like I said again, it’s match play; anything can happen,” Tavatanakit said. “It’s just basically hole by hole, shot by shot.”

The Americans won the third-place match against Sweden, with Kang and Korda winning 1 up against Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist to secure the consolation victory.

The Thai quartet credited the bond formed throughout the week in providing a bedrock of confidence to win the Crown. It’s another seminal moment for the country in terms of its golf ascendance, the players proving they belong alongside the rest of the world on an international stage. Tavatanakit says the victory will add more momentum to the growing popularity of the sport at home.

“It’s so great for our country, and you can already see there’s a lot of rookies this year from Thailand,” Tavatanakit said. “This is going to keep making it growing and keep inspiring young people. I’m just so proud of all of us to be able to play and give it all we got and just try to make our home country proud.”

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Pool play is now over at the International Crown. Those who swam moved on to the semi-finals, while multiple favourites surprisingly sank and are heading home. The United States, Sweden, Thailand and Australia advanced for an opportunity to win the first International Crown in five years.

“Another day to represent our country,” World No. 1 Nelly Korda said about her American squad. “That’s all we could hope for, and hopefully we can get a W and make it to the afternoon round for the championship.”

The teams in the semi-finals bracket were mostly set at the start of the day on Saturday. The only spot up for grabs was the second spot in Pool A, with Team USA holding a two-point edge over China. Earning 1.5 points against Sweden would have made the Americans the pool’s top seed. But, instead, they ended up with just a half point, keeping them alive in their bid to win on home soil.

Two of the previous three International Crowns were won by the home team, with South Korea taking 2018 in Incheon and the US emerging victorious at the Merit Club in Illinois in 2016. After a critical sweep of England on Friday, the Americans earned the half-point against Sweden to secure the second spot out of the pool. China applied the pressure until late in the afternoon, coming away with one point against England as both matches got to at least the 17th.

“I had no idea,” Korda said. “I was just watching. There are not that many leaderboards out here. All we could worry about was our own match and that’s what we did.”

Your standings after Day 3 of @Intl_Crown! ? pic.twitter.com/yQZp3x0rZm

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 7, 2023

The United States are the only team remaining with an opportunity to be the first to win the tournament twice.

Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall completed their third victory of the week earning Sweden the top seed. Their steady-handed performances fue’led a 5.5-point week, with Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark’s tie with Americans Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang on Saturday coming as the only half-point the team lost all week.

“We knew we could do this,” Sagstrom said. “It’s just more about getting to this point, getting the opportunity. Everyone has played super solid, so just awesome to be in this position. Ready to go tomorrow.”

Sweden will take on Australia on Sunday morning. The Aussies lost a head-to-head match-up with Thailand for the top seed of Pool B, the only match of any consequence from the group during the third day.

Thailand’s sweep of Australia earned them six points this week. They’re the only team to win every match of pool play. Sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn’s third victory of the week, a 3&2 win, delivered the top seed to Thailand. Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul’s teamwork extended through the press conference as the former World No. 1, Thitikul, held the microphone while the 2021 ANA Inspiration champion, Tavatanakit, discussed her team’s weekend prospects.

“[We have] good vibes,” Tavatanakit said. “We all know how to play golf. It’s match play; at the end of the day, anything can happen. We’re just going to give it our best, and hopefully we bring home the trophy.”

Those vibes continue off the course as Thailand spends time together away from Harding Park. Countrywoman Wichanee Meechai, a close friend of the Thai team, flew in Thursday to watch her compatriots. They’ve been ordering Thai food and hanging out in the evening. The relaxed time together powers a potentially notable moment for the continually emerging Thai golf.

“If they could win this tournament, I think it’s going to be like a lot of sponsors will look at more at the lady’s golf in Thai,” Meechai said.

While Ariya Jutanugarn signalled they needed to figure out what they’d eat on Saturday night, it’s clearly fuelled successful performances for the team.

Australia paid off their confidence from the start of the week, with Sarah Kemp posing that Australia should be one of the favourites in their pre-tournament press conference. Even with two losses to Thailand Sunday, they’re onto the semi-finals.

“I’ve been playing alongside a major champion in World No. 14 the last three days,” Kemp said of Hannah Green. “So that’s pretty comfortable for me. And Minjee [Lee] is a major champion too, and I think six in the world. So we’re really comfortable, and with those statistics there, I felt like we were kind of one of the favorites.”

Thailand (6) will face the United States (1), while Australia (7) will take on Sweden (4). Both teams from Pool B would be the lowest seed to win in event history. Spain, in 2014, won as a five seed.

South Korea (2) and Japan (3) are the first two and three seeds not to reach the weekend since the tournament’s creation in 2014. Yes, Sundays used to feature five teams before the updated Sunday format, but that doesn’t take away any of the disappointment for the defending champions or Japan. They went head-to-head Saturday for the ceremonial spot of third place in the pool, with South Korea winning both matches 3 and 1 and 3 and 2, respectively.

“I’m very disappointed,” Nasa Hataoka said through a translator. “And this week, we didn’t get any points. So yeah, obviously, I wanted to play Sunday. A little disappointed, but it is what it is.”

They’ll have to wait until 2025 for their next opportunity.

Rather than a day of singles matches, Sunday will have semi-finals, then final. The first tee times of the semi-finals start at 7.10am local, with two singles matches and an alternate shot. The change in format away from fourball makes past head-to-head match-ups this week less relevant going into the semi-finals.

“It’s a completely different format, so that’s the only way,” Korda said. “That’s the only way it [a match-up with Sweden] could be different. We’re playing the same girls. It’s just a different format.”

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With Hanwha LifePlus trying to generate fan excitement for the return of the International Crown, fans can ask for as many foam fingers as they’d like to cheer on their favourite team.

However, with six sweeps in eight head-to-head match-ups, Hanwha should’ve handed out brooms instead. Thailand and Sweden swept both days, booking their tickets to Sunday morning semi-finals match-ups. Now, the only thing they have left to determine is whether they’ll be first or second in their respective pools.

“We maybe have to play for better seeding going into Sunday, but we will talk about strategy after this,” Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit said. “I think we’ve got some points that we need to share and some opinions that we need to elect on.”

Sweden remain a buzzsaw. They’re the only team to have closed every match before getting to the 18th hole at TPC Harding Park. Two teams have also earned zero points. With Alice Hewson and Liz Young arriving after a cross-Atlantic flight on Monday, England were expected to struggle this week. South Korea earning zero points, however, is a substantial shock.

This brings us to our first takeaway from Day 2 at the International Crown.

The defending champions are eliminated

South Korea will not play Sunday at TPC Harding Park. It may be for the best for In Gee Chun, the lone member of the winning 2018 team, as she’s battling a neck injury. However, South Korea have yet to hold a lead during any of their four matches this week. They have not spoken with English media since their pre-tournament press conference. The only expectations the team shared were when a reporter asked World No. 3 Jin Young Ko if they felt like a favourite or underdog.

“I believe we can win again,” Ko said. “I feel like we can win again.”

That opportunity will have to wait for the next Crown in 2025.

The United States recover from slow start to sweep England

American Nelly Korda and her team only need a half-point on Saturday to advance to Sunday. Orlando Ramirez

It felt like a punchy start for Team England. Alice Hewson and Liz Young, England’s late arrivals to San Francisco, sat 2-up through two holes against Lilia Vu and Nelly Korda. Young’s birdie on the first gave England their first lead at any point this week. Instead, birdies by Korda and Vu wiped away the advantage on the third and sixth. Finally, they took the outright lead on No. 12, ripping three straight wins to seize control of the match.

“I think it’s time to make a move and then we’re just aggressive and it worked out that way,” Vu said.

After a difficult loss to Ruixin Liu and Yu Liu, Danielle Kang and Lexi Thompson took the lead on the fifth hole Friday against team Europe Solheim veterans Bronte Law and Jodi Ewart Shadoff. Then, they built on the advantage for a crucial 3-&-2 victory, as England never tied the match again. It puts Team USA in control to reach Sunday’s semi-final.

The semi-finals, effectively, are set

Thailand and Sweden have earned their way into Sunday by winning all four possible points. Australia, with 3.5 points, is also in from Pool B. They’re playing Thailand on Saturday with the No. 1 seed out of Pool B up for grabs.

The United States and China, vying for the second spot out of Pool A, remain the only spot up in the air. If the US earn a half-point tomorrow, they’re in. But if Sweden sweeps them and China win both of their matches against England, both the US and China will have three points. If that happens, they’ll go to a sudden-death four-ball playoff to determine who moves on to Sunday.

That’s the only potential drama looming ahead of the third day of International Crown’s return to the LPGA schedule.

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Here’s what you need to know from day one of Pool Play at the International Crown.

China concoct massive upset

Team USA’s Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang’s combined Rolex Women’s World Rankings spots are 23. Their opponents Thursday, Team China’s Ruixin Liu and Yu Liu, combined are 396. An on-paper David versus Goliath match-up amounted to a difficult loss for Team USA. Yu Liu posted five birdies to take down two of the tour’s top Solheim players.

“It was very unexpected,” Yu said. “I feel like the mindset really helped us because we were the last seeded player on the last seeded team, so honestly just not really having anything to lose.”

Kang’s challenges were highlighted on the 14th. Following a drive that barely reached the fairway, she topped a 3-wood out of the lush rough. After hitting her third on to the green, she grabbed her driver out of her bag, taking practice swings while others in the group hit their approaches.

The Americans could have been pointless on home soil if not for Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu winning three-straight holes from the 13th to the 15th. Even with Team USA Solheim Captain Stacy Lewis assisting at Harding Monday and Tuesday, the Americans haven’t put extensive thought into their pairings.

“I don’t think there was that much planning,” Korda said. “Honestly if we turned it around and I played with Danielle, I think we would have been a good team no matter what. We went with the flow, and happy to get a point for Team USA today.”

They face off against a battered England Team on Friday with the same pairings.

Pool B might already be decided with who advances to the semi-finals

The two seeding underdogs of Thailand (6) and Australia (7) swept Japan (3) and South Korea (2) on Thursday. Those are, effectively, 2.5-point advantages they’ve notched against their first-day opponents since they took the tiebreaker along with the points.

There are four points left up for grabs over the remaining two days. That’s limited time to make up substantial ground, notching the pressure on the group favorites to earn at least a sweep of their own over the next two days.

If Australia and Thailand go a half point above .500 over the remainder of pool play, their first-round opponent cannot pass them, even if they win all four remaining matches.

“Having two points for today definitely helps, but I think we’re all very comfortable on this golf course, so that obviously helps with the confidence,” Hannah Green said. She along with Sarah Kemp won 2 & 1 against top 10 players in the world rankings Hyo Joo Kim (9) and Jin Young Ko (3).

Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, the only pair with experience playing in every Crown together this week, are locked in on Friday already. “I feel like experience helps you but also how you play, like how you’re feeling that day, that match,” Ariya said. “It’s like match play we have to plan, we have to think what we’re doing to do the next day, next round, next match.”

Jersey numbers give insights, fun moments with players

China’s Ruoning Yin. Orlando Ramirez

Most team sports involve players wearing jerseys and numbers. It helps fans to identify their favourite athletes. All 32 competitors got to pick a number this week. In fact, China’s Ruoning Yin honored one of her favourite athletes by donning No. 30, four-time NBA champion Steph Curry’s number. She’s been a fan for nine years, and headed to nearby Chase Center, the Golden State Warrior’s home arena, following her first match at Crown to watch game 2 of Curry’s playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Thompson explained that 22 is a family number. “It’s my mom’s first husband that had passed, it was his favourite number, and it kind of just follows my family everywhere and kind of see it, so it’s definitely special and close to our hearts,” Thompson said.

In Gee Chun picked eight because she’s won eight major titles worldwide. Three are on the LPGA, most recently the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

However, no one picked two, the ideal amount of points for their team to win during pool play days. We’ll see Friday if the sweeping trend continues in San Francisco.

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Ahead of the team match play event at TPC Harding in San Francisco, we ranked the eight teams we see as most likely to win the International Crown.

8. England

Bronte Law. Aramco Team Series

Jodi Ewart Shadoff (Rolex Women’s Ranking: 49)
Bronte Law (116)
Alice Hewson (178)
Liz Young (222)

Late withdrawals from Georgia Hall (World No. 10) and Charley Hull (18) cratered England down the power rankings. Instead of having two of the LPGA’s most consistent performers with Solheim Cup experience, Hall and Hull are replaced by Hewson and Young, who had to hop on flights across the pond to arrive in San Francisco late on Monday. England’s only hope of advancing is if Law summons the 2019 Solheim version of herself. The 2019 Mediheal Championship winner has one made cut in four starts in 2023. Ewart Shadoff has held form since her first LPGA victory at the LPGA Mediheal Championship last October, missing her only cut of the season at last week’s JM Eagle LA Championship following four top-25 finishes in six starts. Even those clicking, however, may not be enough with the sudden change in roster.

7. Sweden

Madelene Sagstrom. Dylan Buell

Maja Stark (30)
Madelene Sagstrom (31)
Anna Nordqvist (36)
Caroline Hedwall (130)

Sweden, unfortunately, are missing theirn top-ranked player this week. Linn Grant is 27th on the Rolex Women’s Rankings, but still can’t travel into the United States due to the COVID-19 vaccine international travel policy. It further compounds the problem that no one on the team is currently in form heading to San Francisco. Nordqvist didin’t play in the Chevron Championship, with her last start in late March. Sagstrom just had her best finish since the tour returned stateside in February with a T-17 last week at Wilshire Country Club. Hedwall, Grant’s replacement, hasn’t played on the LPGA this season, with her best match-play moment coming a decade ago when she went 5-0 for the Europeans at the 2013 Solheim Cup. Stark opened the season with a pair of top-five finishes, but that talent alone can only carry Sweden if her teammates find their game quickly.

6. China

Xiyu Lin (13)
Ruoning Yin (21)
Yu Liu (125)
Ruixin Liu (271)

China bring talented players who are trending upward heading to San Francisco. Yin became the second Chinese player to win on the LPGA Tour when she claimed the title at the LA Open title last month and nearly swept the SoCal swing when she finished a stroke out of a playoff at Wilshire CCountry Club on Sunday. Lin, meanwhile, got in the playoff only to come up just short of victory. The one potential question mark is Ruixin Liu, the least accomplished LPGA player in the entire field. Despite six career victories on the Epson Tour, she hasn’t sustained that talent on the upper circuit. She’s made one cut in four starts this season.

5. Australia

Minjee Lee. LET

Minjee Lee (6)
Hannah Green (14)
Stephanie Kyriacou (118)
Sarah Kemp (161)

The timing of the team selection did not serve Australia well. Grace Kim won her first event a week after the cut-off while sitting two spots behind Kemp on the day teams were finalised. It keeps a top 100 player off the Aussie squad. Instead, look to Australia’s two active major champions in Lee, who is slowly improving after a rough start to 2023, and Green, coming off an emotional playoff victory, her first on the LPGA Tour since 2019, at the JM Eagle LA Championship on Sunday, to lead the team at Harding.

4. Thailand

Ariya Jutanugarn. Chloe Knott/R&A

Atthaya Thitikul (5)
Patty Tavatanakit (63)
Moriya Jutanugarn (80)
Ariya Jutanugarn (83)

Thailand are a team of lurking giants. The Jutanugarn sisters are always a team match-play threat; they won the 2021 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with a closing best-ball 59. Ariya, a former World No. 1 nearly missed this event, but she has posted three top-20s over her last five starts, including a T-14 at the Chevron Championship. Tavatanakit is starting to resemble her world-beating self, with a T-3 showing at the LA Open. Thitikul was a splash away from entering the playoff at the Chevron Championship two weeks ago as she tried to claim her maiden major title. The problem? The bracket did not break right for Thailand. Otherwise, they’d be higher on this list. As the No. 6 seed, they must beat one of Japan or South Korea to advance to the semi-finals.

3. Japan

Yuka Saso. Ezra Shaw

Nasa Hataoka (13)
Ayaka Furue (19)
Yuka Saso (35)
Hinako Shibuno (39)

Team Japan have had notable success the last time the LPGA was in San Francisco. Saso and Hataoka went to a playoff at The Olympic Club during the 2021 US Women’s Open, where Saso broke through for her maiden LPGA victory. In addition, Japan’s line-up is filled by LPGA winners in Shibuno and Furue. If success across the street from Harding translates to this week, Japan have the best opportunity to become a first-time winner of this event.

2. South Korea

Jin Young Ko (3)
Hyo Joo Kim (9)
In Gee Chun (12)
Hye-Jin Choi (25)

The most consistent roster at the Crown belongs to South Korea, as exemplified with all four players impressive performances at the Chevron Championship. The entire team finished in the top 20 at the opening major of the year, with Ko (T-9), Kim (11), Choi (17), and Chun (T-18) all finishing under par at Carlton Woods. However, defending their Crown title five years later will require sorting through the more difficult pool of the two pools.

1. United States

Lilia Vu. Stacy Revere

Nelly Korda (1)
Lilia Vu (4)
Lexi Thompson (7)
Danielle Kang (16)

Most recent major champion? Check. No. 1 player in the Rolex Women’s Rankings? Check. Vu (above) and Korda have been two of the most consistent performers on the LPGA in 2023, providing the favourites this week with significant star power. Kang remains a stalwart performer despite injury concerns. Interestingly, despite the experience of playing in all three previous Crowns, Thompson remains an unknown. Her two missed cuts in two starts this season are the glaring weakness on an otherwise threatening and talented on-paper roster.

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