LPGA Tour: UL International Crown Preview

There’s something different happening on the LPGA Tour this week: the second edition of the UL International Crown.

The LPGA Tour takes a break from its traditional 72-hole stroke play format this week for a unique event. The second edition of the UL International Crown comes to the Merit Club in Chicago on July 21 for a competition featuring eight international teams of four players.

Much like the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup, this is a biennial event. In 2014, the Spanish team of Azahara Muñoz, Beatriz Recari, Carlota Ciganda and Belen Mozo came out on top.

The top eight countries in the June 13 edition of the Rolex World Rankings qualify for the International Crown. From there, four players per team are selected in order of ranking, though some players have elected to not compete. The teams are as follows:

No. 1: Republic of Korea — Sei Young Kim, In Gee Chun, Amy Yang, So Yeon Ryu

No. 2: USA — Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Cristie Kerr

No. 3: Japan — Haru Nomura, Mika Miyazato, Ayaka Watanabe, Ai Suzuki

No. 4: Australia — Minjee Lee, Su Oh, Karrie Webb, Rebecca Artis

No. 5: Chinese Taipei — Teresa Lu, Candie Kung, Yani Tseng, Ssu-Chia Cheng

No. 6: Thailand — Ariya Jutanugarn, Pornanong Phatlum, Moriya Jutanugarn, Porani Chutichai

No. 7: England — Charley Hull, Holly Clyburn, Melissa Reid, Jodi Ewart Shadoff

No. 8: China — Shanshan Feng, Xi Yu Lin, Jing Yan, Simin Feng

Thai golfers Ariya Jutanugarn (L) and Moriya Jutanugarn (R) celebrate after winning their match during the second round of the LGPA International Crown at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, on July 25, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Jim WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) /

Given its spiced-up format, this event has the potential to really catch on in the golf world, but this year’s rendition is defanged. The LPGA Tour’s two wunderkinds, world No. 1 Lydia Ko and No. 2 Brooke Henderson, won’t be in Illinois — neither of their home countries, New Zealand and Canada, were able to qualify. Soon-to-be retired No. 3 Inbee Park has also elected to not compete for Korea. No matter how great your event is, it will be a challenge to attract casual golf fans without these stars.

The defending champions won’t even be there! Rules are rules, but the LPGA Tour is more or less flying on the seat of its pants for this event. Throw the Spaniards a bone here.

With the Olympics coming up fast, this event also seems a bit redundant in that two different “world champions” could be crowned in less than a month. Still, it’s refreshing to see the LPGA Tour branching out. Criticisms aside, the UL International Crown offers plenty of intriguing aspects. Let’s dive in to see who has a chance at the title and what it will take to get there:

Format: It’s easy to assume this LPGA Tour event would bear some resemblance to the Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup, but aside from the team aspect, there are more differences than similarities. The tournament begins with two pools of four teams. Pool A: No. 1 Republic of Korea, No. 4 Australia, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 8 China. Pool B: No. 2 USA, No. 3 Japan, No. 6 Thailand, No. 7 England.

The first three days of the four-day event feature four-ball competition, with a given team facing all three of its pool-mates during that time. A win earns two points, a tie earns one and a loss earns zero.

The top two teams from each pool advance to the Sunday singles matches. Here comes the curveball: teams finishing in third place in their pool will compete in a sudden death playoff, with each team choosing two players to participate. The winner advances, joining the top four.

Once the five teams are established, every player will compete in two singles matches on Sunday. Points accumulated during the first three days carry over, and matchups are determined by seeding based on points earned. For example, the No. 1 team after the re-seed will face the No. 4 and No. 5 teams. No. 2 will face No. 3 and No. 5, and so on.

OWINGS MILLS, MD – JULY 24: Candie Kung(R) and Teresa Lu of Chinese Taipei celebrate after winning the match on the 15th hole during round one of the International Crown on July 24, 2014 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

If there’s a tie at the top of the points leaderboard after the singles matches, one player from each team will participate in a sudden death playoff.

Phew, did you get all that? The format is a lot to take in, but it could be a great showcase for the LPGA Tour’s best. I’m all for a potential Lexi Thompson-Ariya Jutanugarn sudden death playoff. Did I mention there’s money involved, too?

If representing one’s country isn’t enough to sweeten the pot, players have a $100,00 carrot dangling in front of them — each player from the winning team will take home that sum. All players are guaranteed at least $30,000, a likely necessary touch for a fledgling tournament that lacks the prestige and tradition to draw LPGA Tour players to play pro bono.

The possibility of having to rely on another player to bring home the bacon for you and your team is a fun concept. Envisioning Cristie Kerr hollering at Lexi Thompson to hole a $100,000 putt or else she’s walking home would make for fantastic television.

Outlook: The top two teams from 2014, Spain and Sweden, aren’t even in the field this year. Even if they were, though, the Republic of Korea would be the clear favorite. Korea tied for third place with Japan last time and brings a revamped but equally talented team this year.

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Even without world No. 3 Inbee Park and No. 10 Ha-na Jang, the Koreans still pack a punch. All four players are currently in the top 12 in the world, including No. 5 Sei Young Kim. South Korea’s lowest-ranked player, No. 12 So Yeon Ryu, is ranked higher than the best player on five of the seven other teams. That’s a lot to overcome, even for some of the LPGA Tour’s top players.

Thailand could be a dark horse, especially given the hot streak that world No. 6 Ariya Jutanugarn has been on this season, but she is the only Thai player in the top 25. Jutanugarn could very well carry her team to the final five, but a championship will likely require more depth.

The next best bet to take the crown appears to be the USA. All four players are ranked in the top 25 and have five major championships between them. Gerina Piller replaces Paula Creamer in what is otherwise a replica of the 2014 squad that disappointed with a sixth-place finish, but an improvement appears likely. The Americans will be on their home turf and are sending out the highest-ranked player in the field, seven-time LPGA Tour winner Lexi Thompson.

More information on the event’s format can be found here.

Next: 5 Things You Didn't Know About the RBC Canadian Open

Who do you think will come out on top? What do you like or dislike about this format? Let us know by commenting below, and keep it here at Pro Golf now for more LPGA Tour updates.

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