S. Korea secures 2nd seed at LPGA int'l team competition

South Korea has grabbed the second seed in an eight-country match play competition in women's golf set for May.

The LPGA Tour unveiled the final standings of the eight countries that qualified for the 2023 International Crown on Monday. South Korea took the second seed behind the United States.

The field of eight countries was determined by the combined world ranking positions of the top four players from each country as of Nov. 21, 2022. Those countries' seedings and their four qualified players were set based on the world rankings as of Monday, following the completion of the DIO Implant LA Open.

The lower the total of ranking positions, the better it is for countries. The United States had 34 points thanks to a quartet of top-15 players: Nelly Korda (No. 2), Lexi Thompson (No. 6), Lilia Vu (No. 12) and Danielle Kang (No. 14). They have 26 combined LPGA titles, including three majors.

South Korea had 44 points from Ko Jin-young (No. 3), Kim Hyo-joo (No. 9), Chun In-gee (No. 11) and Park Min-ji (No. 21). Of this group, Park is the only player based in the Korea LPGA Tour, while the other three ply their trade on the US circuit. Ko, Kim and Chun have combined for 23 LPGA wins, including six majors.

Chun is the only one of the group with prior International Crown experience, having won the 2018 event and finished second in 2016.

The fourth edition of the International Crown will take place from May 4 to 7 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Players have until Friday to commit to the International Crown. Country seedings will not change, even if some of the players are replaced by lower-ranked countrywomen.

Per industry sources Tuesday in Seoul, Park has informed the LPGA that she will skip the International Crown due to scheduling issues.

Park is set to play in the first major of the Korean season, the KLPGA Championship, the week before the International Crown, and will be the defending champion of another tour event the week after the international event.

Choi Hye-jin, the second-year LPGA player at No. 25, is the next-highest South Korean on the world rankings.

The six other competing nations are: Japan, Sweden, England, Thailand, Australia and China.

The field will feature some major champions, such as Yuka Saso of Japan, Anna Nordqvist of Sweden, Georgia Hall of England, Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and Minjee Lee of Australia.

The first three days of the International Crown will feature four-ball competition. The top two countries from each pool will advance to the semifinals on May 7.

The two semifinal matches will be played on the morning of the final day, with each consisting of two singles matches and one foursome match. The championship final will be in the afternoon the same day, along with a third-place match. They will both have the same format as the semifinals.

Hanwha, one of South Korea's largest conglomerates, will serve as the title sponsor under the name LIFEPLUS. It's a joint brand of Hanwha's financial affiliates, including Hanwha Life and Hanwha Investment & Securities. (Yonhap)