The LPGA announced a new biennial match play event to start in 2014. The International Crown will feature teams of four players each from eight countries. The LPGA embraces its global image and this match play event will help to further develop their presence as a world tour.
The eight teams will be decided from the Rolex Rankings. World rankings will be calculated and the top eight countries will be invited to send a team to the International Crown.
It is to be held July 21-24, 2014 at Caves Valley Golf Club outside of Baltimore, Maryland.
The International Crown will have a definite Ryder or Presidents Cup feel with apparel that will promote the team’s country rather than a corporate sponsor.
The ladies currently have the Solheim Cup that matches a team of 12 players from the United States versus a team from Europe and is held in odd numbered years.
The new International Crown will allow a wider participation from other counties, especially Taiwan, South Korea and Australia. All are countries that have a wealth of top women golfers.
The eight countries that would be invited to send teams currently would include: South Korea, United States, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Spain, Taiwan and England.
World No. 1 ranked Yani Tseng from Taiwan would be eligible. South Korea currently has three players ranked in the Top-10 on the Rolex Rankings. Na Yeon Choi is No. 2, Inbee Park is No. 4 and won the 2012 LPGA money list title and So Yeon Ryu is No. 7 in the world rankings.
The teams will be chosen at the conclusion of the 2013 CME Group Titleholders, the final event in the LPGA season.
The competition will feature three days of Four-Ball matches. Five teams will qualify for the Sunday singles matches. Total points from the first three days will be added to points earned in the Sunday singles matches and the team with the best cumulative score will win $400,000 from a total purse of $1.6 million.
This is a fantastic idea for the LPGA. Kudos to LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan and his staff. The success of the Ryder, Presidents, and Solheim Cups has demonstrated that golf fans want more match play events throughout the season.
Getting Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Australia involved in this type of a match play event should yield big dividends for women’s golf.