LPGA Tour
The LPGA's International Crown just added a fascinating new wrinkle

From left, Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul of Team Thailand pose with the winners' trophy at the 2023 International Crown.
Orlando Ramirez
The Hanwha LIfePlus International Crown will have a new twist this year. The event will incorporate a World Team that will include golfers who otherwise would not have qualified via their country’s selection.
The biennial tournament is staged by the LPGA Tour, and in 2025 will feature eight teams of four players each. The World Team will include the top-ranked player from a country in the four regions that has not already qualified: Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Those who would currently make the squad are World No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, No. 9 Celine Boutier of France, No. 25 Brooke Henderson of Canada and No. 88 Peiyun Chien of Chinese Taipei.
The four match-play competition days are Oct. 23-26 at New Korea Country Club in South Korea. The event has a $2 million prize pool with $500,000 for the victorious team. The first three days are made up of fourball match play, with the final round combining singles and foursomes match play.
To qualify for the event, the top seven countries with at least four qualifying players are determined by the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. The selections will be finalized after the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June. The final 32 players will be determined by the World Rankings after the AIG Women’s Open in August.
The International Crown started in 2014 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Baltimore and was won by the Spanish team (Carlota Ciganda, Belen Mozo, Azahara Munoz and Beatriz Recari). The U.S. won in 2016 with Christie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Mendoza, nee Piller, and Lexi Thompson in 2016. The 2020 event was canceled because of COVID-19, and in the last competition held in 2023 at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park, Thailand’s team of Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Patty Tavatanakit and Jeeno Thitikul were the winners.