The U.S. team maintained its flawless record at the LPGA International Crown tournament on Friday, securing decisive victories in its third and fourth fourball matches. This impressive performance included a significant win that brought an end to the undefeated streak of world No. 1-ranked Jeeno Thitikul in the prestigious team competition.
In a key matchup, Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin of the U.S. defeated Thitikul and Pajaree Anannarukarn with a commanding score of 5 and 4. This marked Thitikul`s first loss after six consecutive match wins in the event. Following this, Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin clinched another fourball victory for the Americans, overcoming Chanettee Wannasaen and Jasmine Suwannapura 3 and 2 at the New Korea Country Club in Goyang, South Korea.
Building on two solid wins against China recorded on Thursday, the top-seeded U.S. team now confidently leads Pool A with a total of four points. As the only undefeated team in the tournament, their exceptional play has guaranteed them a coveted spot in Sunday`s semifinals. All eight participating teams are slated to play their third round of fourball matches on Saturday, setting the stage for more exciting golf.
Pool A & Pool B Match Highlights
In Pool A, Australia and China split their fourball matches contested on Friday. Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou secured a 2 and 1 win against China`s Zhang Weiwei and Liu Yan. However, China`s duo of Yin Ruoning and Ruixin Liu managed to edge out Australians Hannah Green and Grace Kim 1-up, leveling the day`s results for their pool.
Pool B also witnessed a split in Friday`s matches between Japan and Sweden. Miyu Yamashita and Rio Takeda claimed a 3 and 2 victory over Madelene Sagstrom and Ingrid Lindblad. Despite this, Sweden responded strongly, with Maja Stark and Linn Grant securing a win by defeating Mao Saigo and Ayaka Furue with the identical score of 3 and 2.
The World team demonstrated strong performance against South Korea, accumulating 1.5 points from their matches. This brought their total to three points from two wins and two ties, positioning them as the leaders of Pool B. A notable moment came when England`s Charley Hull, partnered with New Zealand`s Lydia Ko from the World team, sealed a 1-up victory over Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi with a decisive 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole. Separately, Jin Young Ko and Haeran Ryu played to a tie against the pairing of Wei-Ling Hsu of Taiwan and Canada`s Brooke Henderson.
Tournament Structure Explained
The unique tournament format features eight teams competing across two separate pools: seven representing specific countries and one comprising a `Rest of the World` selection. Player selections and team compositions for the event were meticulously determined based on the women`s world golf rankings. The top two teams from each pool will advance to Sunday`s critical semifinals and the subsequent final, which will consist of one foursomes (alternate shot) match and two intense singles matches to crown the champion.
