Korean dominance
The UL International Crown has been played three times and the Republic of Korea has been represented in all three tournaments. They’ve always entered the tournament as one of the favourites. Finally this time on home soil they came out victorious. They won the 2018 UL International Crown in dominant fashion. A full four points clear of their closest competition the teams from England and the United States. This really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that follows the LPGA because all four team members have been ranked in the Rolex World Rankings Top 10 this Season. Truth be told the Republic of Korea could have fielded multiple teams if the tournament allowed it. Despite their dominance on tour the casual LPGA fan might be unfamiliar with most of their players outside of their very best because until recently their haven’t been many events for them to showcase their skills. That’s just one of the reasons I’m so pleased with the development of the UL International Crown.
Player development
The UL International Crown pits the top 4 players from the top 8 nations based on their combined Rolex World rankings. In the three tournaments that have been held since it’s inception the nations that have competed haven’t changed much. 6 nations have been in every tournament. They are the Republic of Korea, United States of America, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and Chinese Taipei. Spain has only been in one tournament, but they took full advantage and won the inaugural event. Sweden and England have both competed in two tournaments. The only other nation that has competed is China. This won’t always be the case. I believe that the inaugural event win by Spain demonstrates how a slightly weaker team can win the UL International Crown. The 10 points earned by Thailand in this year’s event further demonstrates how it only takes a couple of emerging players to really compete. The motivation a tournament like this provides to younger players hoping to one day represent their country can only help increase interest in the LPGA. Having a player the caliber of Brooke Henderson has me hoping to witness the emergence of another star Canadian player by 2020 so that our nation has a chance to compete. Unlike the currently more popular Solheim Cup which is the LPGA version of the PGA Ryder Cup. The UL International Crown is open to all nations, and in the case of the LPGA a better representation of the actual players on tour.
Looking forward
The Koreans have without a doubt established themselves as the team to beat. Although they will have to keep developing new talent like Jin Young Ko to keep the other countries at bay. The young team from England briefly gave the Koreans a scare this year before they faced each other in the third Round. Similar to the youth movement in the PGA. The LPGA developmental tours are doing an excellent job of getting the rookies prepared to win from day 1. Current stars aren’t assured a spot on their nation’s team if they qualify either. Unlike the other international tournaments in the PGA and LPGA, their aren’t any coaches selections in the UL International Crown. The top 4 ranked players qualify, period. So you won’t see a selection based purely on former greatness or out of pity like the Phil Mickelson pick at this year’s Ryder Cup. You have to earn your spot, or some young upstart could slip in with a key win, and steal the spotlight.