In Goyang, South Korea, the United States maintained its flawless performance at the LPGA International Crown on Friday. The American team secured victories in its third and fourth fourball matches, notably breaking the undefeated streak of world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul in the team event.
The American pair of Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin delivered a decisive 5 and 4 victory over Thitikul and Pajaree Anannarukarn. This defeat marked Thitikul`s first loss in the tournament after an impressive six consecutive match wins. Subsequently, Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin further cemented the U.S. lead by triumphing 3 and 2 against Chanettee Wannasaen and Jasmine Suwannapura at the New Korea Country Club.
Building on their success, the top-seeded Americans had previously defeated China in both their matches on Thursday. As the only undefeated team in the competition, the U.S. currently leads Pool A with four points, officially securing their advancement to Sunday`s semifinals.
A third round of fourball matches is scheduled for Saturday, involving all eight participating teams.
In other Pool A action on Friday, Australia and China each claimed a fourball victory. Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou secured a 2 and 1 win for Australia against Zhang Weiwei and Liu Yan, while China`s Yin Ruoning and Ruixin Liu edged out Australians Hannah Green and Grace Kim with a 1-up triumph.
Meanwhile, Pool B also saw a split in Friday`s matches between Japan and Sweden. Miyu Yamashita and Rio Takeda notched a 3 and 2 victory for Japan over Madelene Sagstrom and Ingrid Lindblad. However, Maja Stark and Linn Grant retaliated for Sweden, defeating Mao Saigo and Ayaka Furue by the same score, 3 and 2.
The `World` team gained 1.5 points in their contest against South Korea, positioning them at the top of Pool B with a total of three points derived from two wins and two ties.
A dramatic moment unfolded as England`s Charley Hull sank a crucial 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, sealing a 1-up victory for her and `World` teammate Lydia Ko (New Zealand) against South Korea`s Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi. Separately, Jin Young Ko and Haeran Ryu played to a draw with Wei-Ling Hsu of Taiwan and Canada`s Brooke Henderson.
Reflecting on her clutch putt, Hull commented, “I struck it, but cautiously, to avoid a difficult return shot. My only thought was to sink it and relieve the pressure.”
The tournament structure involves seven national teams and a `Rest of the World` composite team, all competing within two distinct pools. Player and team selections were based on the official women`s world golf rankings.
The two leading teams from each pool will progress to Sunday`s semifinals and the subsequent final, which will feature one foursomes (alternate shot) match and two singles matches.
In related news, Sei Young Kim recently triumphed at the BMW Ladies Championship, also held in South Korea. The LPGA`s tour through Asia is set to continue next week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before concluding in Shiga, Japan, from November 6-9.
