ZCZC
BSP-22
GOLF-LPGA-KOR
Hosts S. Korea make perfect start at LPGA Crown
INCHEON, South Korea, Oct 4, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – World number one Park Sung-
hyun led hosts South Korea to a perfect start in the UL International Crown
on Thursday, as both pairs in the star-studded team beat Taiwanese opponents.
South Korea shot to the top of Pool A in front of a home crowd at the Jack
Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, where 32 of the best female golfers from
the eight top-ranked countries teed off at the LPGA team event.
Two-time major winner Park and 10th-ranked Kim In-kyung beat Candie Kung
and Phoebe Yao of Taiwan 1-up.
The victory was followed by a 2-up win by South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon and
Chun In-gee over Taiwan’s Teresa Lu and Hsu Wei-Ling, giving the hosts four
points.
“We did struggle a bit on the front nine but I think we pulled out the win
because we were really supporting each other the entire way,” said world
number three Ryu after the win.
This is the third edition of the tournament, and the first to be held
outside the United States.
Top-seeded South Korea are trying to win their first International Crown
after finishing third in 2014 and second in 2016.
England trail South Korea in second place in Pool A with three points,
followed by Australia with one point.
Thailand finished day one with a win and a tie over Japan to lead Pool B,
which also includes the US and Sweden.
After three days of fourballs, the top two teams from each pool and one
wild-card team will advance to the singles event on Sunday, after which the
team with the most points will claim the title.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1520 hrs