Korea will challenge to defend the International Crown title in the LPGA Tour national competition.
The Hanwha Life Plus International Crown will be held at TPC Harding Park (par 72) in San Francisco, California, for four days from the 4th (local time).
In this tournament, 8 countries are divided into 2 groups, and after the group stage, the 1st and 2nd places in each group advance to the semifinals. The group stage is a four-ball method in which two players play with their own balls and the good score for each hole is calculated as a team performance. Two four-ball matches are played and 1 point is awarded for a win, 0.5 points for a draw and 0 points for a loss.
The semi-finals, finals, and 3rd and 4th place matches will consist of 1 foursome game and 2 singles matches, in which two players from the same team take turns playing the same ball. In the tournament, the first team to score 2 points wins.
Korea was in Group 1 with Australia, Thailand and Japan. They will face Australia on the 4th, Thailand on the 5th, and Japan on the 6th.
Teamed up with Ko Jin-young, Kim Hyo-joo, Jeon In-ji, and Choi Hye-jin, the Taegeuk Corps challenges to win the championship twice in a row. In the 2018 tournament held in Incheon, Korea, Jeon In-ji, Park Seong-hyun, Ryu So-yeon, and Kim In-kyung lifted the championship cup.
If Korea rises to the top, it will succeed in winning two consecutive championships for the first time since the tournament began in 2014. Spain won the first competition, and the United States won the second competition in 2016. Korea placed 3rd in the first tournament and then finished runner-up.
The spearhead of the title defense challenge is Ko Jin-young, who is ranked third in the world. Ko Jin-young, who struggled with a wrist injury last year, made a perfect comeback by winning the HSBC World Championship, his second appearance of the season. He also came 9th at the season’s first major Chevron Championship.크크크벳
Kim Hyo-joo, ranked 9th in the world, recorded three top-10 finishes in six competitions this season. He continued his steady form by finishing 11th in the Chevron Championship as well.
Jeon In-ji is participating in the 3rd international crown. In particular, Jeon In-gee led Korea to the championship in 2018 by participating in four games and winning all of them. If Korea rises to the top this year, Jeon In-gee will become the first player in history to win the championship twice in a row.
In order for Korea to win, it has to overcome the US on its home course. The United States teamed up with world No. 1 Nellie Corda, Lexi Thompson, Lilia Boo, and Danielle Kang. Excluding 16th place Daniel Kang, 3 players are so strong that they are in the top 10 in the world rankings.