Day 1 of the UL International Crown is complete, with host country South Korea the lone two-win team. Here’s a look at the current standings and how the matches played out on Thursday.
The top two points-earners from each pool, as well as a fifth-place wild-card team [determined by a playoff between the third-place teams in each pool], will advance to the Sunday singles. Click here for more on how the champion will be crowned.
POOL A | POINTS | W-L-T |
South Korea | 4 | 2-0-0 |
England | 3 | 1-0-1 |
Australia | 1 | 0-1-1 |
Chinese Taipei | 0 | 0-2-0 |
POOL B | POINTS | W-L-T |
Thailand | 3 | 1-0-1 |
Sweden | 2 | 1-1-0 |
United States | 2 | 1-1-0 |
Japan | 1 | 0-1-1 |
Match 1: Charley Hull and Georgia Hall (ENG) halved Minjee Lee and Sarah Jane Smith (AUS)
Three down with five holes to play, England closed hard. Hall chipped in from 40 feet for eagle at the 14th, Hull dropped a 10-footer for birdie at the 17th and Hall birdied the 18th after pitching to a foot for a conceded birdie. Hall hit driver off the deck in the 18th fairway to just in front of the green to set up the closing birdie.
Match 2: Bronte Law and Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG) def. Katherine Kirk and Su Oh (AUS), 4 and 3
Law and Shadoff won the third and fourth holes with birdies to go 2 up and never trailed. Shadoff remains unbeaten in Crown matches. She’s now 4-0-1. This is Law’s first Crown appearance.
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Match 3: Nasa Hataoka and Ayako Uehara (JPN) halved Moriya Jutanugarn and Pornanong Phatlum (THA)
Hataoka pitched to 3 inches at the last for a conceded birdie to win the hole and halve the match. Hataoka made a clutch 10-foot birdie at the 17th to keep the match alive after Phatlum stuffed her tee shot to 3 feet. Japan avoided being swept by Thailand with the strong finish.
Match 4: Ariya Jutanugarn and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (THA) def. Misuzu Narita and Mamiko Higa (JPN), 2 and 1
Jutanugarn and Santiwiwatthanaphong were all square until winning the 14th and 16th holes to take control of the match.
Match 5: Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson (USA) def. Pernilla Lindberg and Madelene Sagstrom (SWE), 2 up
The American dynamic duo ran their record together to 9-1-2 as partners in Solheim Cups and International Crowns. This was a grind for Kerr, who fears she may have strep throat. She was sick in the pro-am Wednesday and sick again in Thursday’s start but still managed to help Thompson, who drove the ball brilliantly.
Match 6: Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall (SWE) def. Michelle Wie and Jessica Korda (USA), 2 up
Nordqvist and Hedwall were on fire early, making birdies on four of the first five holes. When Hedwall rolled in a 25-foot birdie to win the fifth hole, the Swedes were 4 up. Wie and Korda mounted an impressive comeback, with Wie’s 18-foot birdie at the 13th squaring the match. Nordqvist immediately answered, driving the green at the 233-yard 14th hole and two-putting for birdie to give the Swedes a lead they wouldn’t lose again.
Match 7: Sung Hyun Park and I.K. Kim (KOR) def. Candie Kung and Phoebe Yao (TPE), 1 up
Park drove the green at the short 14th, then holed her 18-foot eagle putt to give the Koreans a 2 up lead. They held on in the end with I.K. Kim making a 10-foot birdie to halve the 18th and win the match.
Match 8: In Gee Chun and So Yeon Ryu (KOR) def. Teresa Lu and Wei-Ling Hsu (TPE), 2 up
All square for 10 holes, Chun holed a 12-foot birdie at the 11th to move the Koreans 1 up. Ryu birdied the 18th to close out the victory.
Source: Internet
