Seoul: World No. 2 Nelly Korda has withdrawn from the U.S. team for an LPGA match-play competition taking place in South Korea later this month. The LPGA announced that Korda has pulled out of the International Crown with an injury and will be replaced by Korean American golfer Yealimi Noh.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the fifth edition of the International Crown will be played at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 23 to 26. Seven countries -- South Korea, the United States, Japan, Thailand, Sweden, Australia, and China -- along with the brand-new Team World will participate, each represented by four players. Team World will consist of one player each from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa and Oceania.
Korda, who recently finished tied for fourth at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, is not the only top player to withdraw. Former No. 1 Patty Tavatanakit from Thailand has also withdrawn and will be replaced by Pajaree Anannarukarn.
The seedings for the countries have been determined based on their players' world ranking positions as of Aug. 4 and will remain unchanged regardless of any additional lineup changes. The U.S. will be the top seed, followed by Japan and South Korea.
South Korea's team will include Kim Hyo-joo, Ryu Hae-ran, Ko Jin-young, and Choi Hye-jin. Among them, Kim, Ko, and Choi were teammates on the 2023 team that finished tied for fifth, while Ryu will be participating in the International Crown for the first time.
The history of the International Crown has seen four different champions over its first four editions, with Spain winning in 2014, the U.S. in 2016, South Korea as the host nation in 2018, and Thailand in 2023. The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19.
For the competition, Teams seeded 1, 4, 5, and 8 will be placed in Pool A, while seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7 will compete in Pool B. After fourball matches from Oct. 23 to 25, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinals on the morning of Oct. 26. The semifinals will consist of two singles matches and one foursome match, with the final set to take place in the afternoon, following the same format.