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International Crown – Teams Are Taking Form

By Elizabeth Bethel

OWINGS MILLS, MD - JULY 27: Carlota Ciganda of Spain celebrates on the 16th green after Spain won the International Crown at Cave Valley Golf Club on July 27, 2014 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
OWINGS MILLS, MD - JULY 27: Carlota Ciganda of Spain celebrates on the 16th green after Spain won the International Crown at Cave Valley Golf Club on July 27, 2014 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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International Crown
OWINGS MILLS, MD – JULY 26: So Yeon Ryu (L) and playing partner Inbee Park of South Korea on the 16th green during a playoff with the United States in round three of the International Crown at Caves Valley Golf Club on July 26, 2014 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Here’s why the Korean team isn’t as strong as its combined top ranking would suggest.

The potential Korean team is headed by Inbee Park, who is by no means certain to even want to play in the Crown. Park is struggling with a thumb injury and having trouble completing a full round of stroke play.

Right below 2nd ranked Inbee Park, 6th ranked Sei Young Kim and 7th ranked In Gee Chun look like certain team members, as does 8th ranked Amy Yang.  Should Inbee Park step aside, 9th ranked Ha Na Jang would become the 4th team member. But Jang, who hasn’t made a start since the ANA Inspiration, is reputed to be receiving medical treatment in Korea and may or may not be prepared to join the Korean team for the Crown. That would open the door for 10th ranked So Yeon Ryu.

Of these 6, only Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu have any experience playing together in major team competition. Chun and Jang captured the KLPGA’s 2013 Doosan Match Play Championship but have been fiercely competitive in their play on the LPGA. Kim and Yang, while very talented athletes, seem to have no team competition experience.

Should Park step aside, the obvious leader among the Koreans is So Yeon Ryu, who is the lowest-ranked player.  As we saw in the 2014 International Crown, individual strength doesn’t automatically convert to team strength when it comes to match play team competition.

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