Goyang: The top-seeded United States and fourth-seeded Australia are poised to compete in the final of the International Crown on the outskirts of Seoul. The event is taking place at the New Korea Golf Country Club in Goyang, located just northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the U.S. team secured their spot in the final by defeating Japan 2-1 in the semifinals of the biennial LPGA match-play competition. The matches were held on a par-72 course that played at 6,369 yards. On the other side of the bracket, Australia advanced to the final by overcoming the World Team 2-1, setting the stage for a decisive contest with the American team.
The International Crown features teams from seven countries: the U.S., Japan, Australia, Sweden, Thailand, China, and host South Korea, along with the newly created World Team, which includes players from countries not previously qualified for the competition. The teams were divided into Pool A and Pool B. After three days of fourball matches, the top two teams from each pool progressed to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, teams competed in two singles matches and one foursome match. For the U.S., Yealimi Noh, who replaced world No. 2 Nelly Korda following her withdrawal due to injury, triumphed over Miyu Yamashita 4 and 2 in their singles match. Noh secured victory by winning three of the last four holes and finishing with a birdie on the par-3 16th. Angel Yin defeated Rio Takeda 2 and 1 in the other singles match, ensuring the U.S.'s place in the final. Japan's Ayaka Furue and Mao Saigo managed to earn a point by beating Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin 1-up in the foursome match.
Australia demonstrated resilience by staging comebacks in two of their three matches against the World Team. Minjee Lee overcame Brooke Henderson of Canada 1-up, clinching victory with a birdie on the final hole. After trailing Henderson 3-up through 12 holes, Lee tied the match with a birdie on the 16th and took the lead with a birdie on the par-5 17th. In the foursome match, Stephanie Kyriacou and Grace Kim defeated Hsu Wei-Ling of Chinese Taipei and Lydia Ko of New Zealand on the second playoff hole, securing the win after Kim's birdie on the 18th hole forced a playoff.
Charley Hull of England was the sole point scorer for the World Team, defeating Hannah Green 2 and 1 in singles. Meanwhile, South Korea, ranked third behind the United States and Japan, failed to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive International Crown, recording one win, two losses, and three ties in pool play.
The final will follow the same format as the semifinals, adding anticipation for the match between the U.S. and Australia.