'Eliminated in Qualifiers' South Korea "Saving Face with 2 Wins Against Japan"

Japan Defeated in International Crown Group Stage
Thailand-USA, Sweden-Australia Complete Semifinal Lineup

Korean women's golf saved face by defeating Japan.

On the 6th (local time), Korea secured two wins against Japan on the third day of the group stage in Group B of the Hanwha LifePlus International Crown (total prize money of $2 million), a women's golf team competition, held at TPC Harding Park (par 72, 6,550 yards) in San Francisco, California, USA. The format was four-ball, where teams of two players each play their own ball, and the better score counts as the team score.

Ko Jin-young is smiling on the green of the 2nd hole during the group stage on the third day of the Hanwha LifePlus International Crown.
[San Francisco (USA) = AFP·Yonhap News]

Ko Jin-young and Kim Hyo-joo defeated Saso Yuka and Shibuno Hinako by 3 holes. They took control early by winning the 2nd hole (par 3) and the 8th to 10th holes. Jeon In-ji and Choi Hye-jin also beat Hataoka Nasa and Furue Ayaka by 2 holes. After gaining a 2-hole lead with birdies on the 3rd hole (par 5) and the 14th hole (par 4), they sealed the match by halving the 17th hole (par 3). As the defending champions, Korea finished the tournament with 2 wins and 4 losses, placing 3rd in their group. Japan ended up at the bottom (1 draw, 5 losses), damaging their pride.

In Group A, Sweden (5 wins, 1 draw) and the United States (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses) advanced to the semifinals as 1st and 2nd place respectively. China placed 3rd (2 wins, 4 losses), and England was 4th (1 win, 5 losses). In Group B, Thailand (6 wins) and Australia (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses) earned tickets to the semifinals. The semifinal matchups are Sweden vs. Australia and Thailand vs. the United States. The semifinals, final, and third-place match will be played with one foursome match where two players alternate shots with one ball, and two singles match play games.

The tournament was established in 2014 and was temporarily suspended after the third edition held in Incheon in 2018, resuming after five years. It was scheduled to be held in England in 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Spain and the United States won the tournaments held in the U.S. in 2014 and 2016 respectively. Korea claimed the title in 2018.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.