Goyang: South Korea failed to win a match against the World Team on the second day of the International Crown on Friday, blowing late leads to take a tie and a loss.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ko Jin-young and Ryu Hae-ran for the No. 2 seed South Korea secured a tie against Brooke Henderson of Canada and Hsu Wei-Ling of Chinese Taipei of the seventh-seed World Team in their fourball match on Day 2 of the LPGA match-play competition at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. Meanwhile, Kim Hyo-joo and Choi Hye-jin lost 1-up to Charley Hull of England and Lydia Ko of New Zealand.
South Korea had previously achieved a win and a tie against Sweden to commence this competition on Thursday. In this event, a match win is worth one point, and a half-point is awarded to each team in case of a tie. The host country is set to play Japan on Saturday.
With two points through two days, South Korea is in second place in Pool B, with the World Team leading at three points. Japan and Sweden, the other teams in Pool B, hold 1 1/2 points each.
The International Crown features seven countries-South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Sweden, and China-along with the new World team, composed of players from countries not already qualified. Teams seeded 1, 4, 5, and 8 are in Pool A, while seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7 are in Pool B.
The top two teams from each pool by the end of Saturday will progress to the semifinals set for Sunday morning, with the final scheduled for Sunday afternoon. All pool matches are played in the fourball format, where each player hits her own ball, and the lower score of the two teammates counts as the team's score on each hole. The semifinals and the finals will feature a combination of the foursome and singles formats.
This is the fifth edition of the International Crown, with each of the first four events producing a different champion. South Korea won the 2018 competition as the first-time host.
Ko and Ryu were leading their opponents through 16 holes, but Henderson's birdie brought the World Team level, ending the match in a tie. Kim and Choi never led their match but drew level as both Ko and Ryu made birdies on the 17th. However, both players for the World Team made birdies on the closing hole, while neither Korean player was able to match that.
In Friday's other matches, No. 4 seed Australia and No. 8 seed China split their two matches in Pool A action. Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou defeated Liu Yan and Zhang Weiwei 2 and 1, while Liu Ruixin and Yin Ruonin secured a point for China with a 1-up victory over Hannah Green and Grace Kim.
No. 2 seed Japan recorded a win and a loss against No. 6 seed Sweden in Pool B. Miyu Yamashita and Rio Takeda triumphed over Madelene Sagstrom and Ingrid Lindblad 3 and 2. Sweden responded as Maja Stark and Linn Grant defeated Ayaka Furue and Mao Saigo of Japan 3 and 2.
The top-seeded U.S. remains the only team to win all four matches over the first two days of the competition, following two victories over No. 5 seed Thailand on Friday in Pool A. Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin dominated Jeeno Thitikul and Pajaree Anannarukarn 5 and 4, while Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin managed Chanettee Wannasaen and Jasmine Suwannapura 3 and 2.
With their four points, the Americans secured a spot in the semifinals set for Sunday, with one more day of pool play to come on Saturday.