Dates have been set for the LPGA's international match play competition to be held in South Korea next year.
The third edition of the biennial International Crown will take place from Oct. 4 to 7, 2018, at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, just west of Seoul, organizers announced Wednesday.
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Crowds are gathered at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon for the 2015 Presidents Cup on Oct. 11, 2015. (Yonhap) |
South Korea was announced as the host of the event last July, the first time the International Crown will move out of the United States.
At the International Crown, eight countries are represented by four players each. The field of 32 players is determined by the world rankings, and the four highest-ranked golfers for each nation are eligible.
The LPGA Tour has had the Solheim Cup as its featured international event since 1990 but because it is only for Americans and Europeans, the biennial event has often left out the best female golfers from countries that include South Korea, Australia and Japan.
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea also hosted the 2015 Presidents Cup, a men's match play competition between the United States and a team of non-European international players.
The International Crown was first contested in 2014 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. Spain won the inaugural competition, with South Korea finishing third. The United States won it in 2016 over South Korea at Merit Club in Gurnee, Illinois.
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, bearing the name of its designer and one of the greatest legends in golf, opened in September 2010. It has also hosted other international events, such as the Songdo Championship on the PGA Tour Champions -- formerly the Senior PGA Tour and Champions Tour -- in 2010 and 2011, and the 2012 Korea Women's Open on the KLPGA Tour. (Yonhap)
