DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Dates have been finalized for next year’s UL International Crown, a team competition that features the best female golfers from the top eight countries across the globe and will be played in Korea from October 4-7, 2018.
To be staged outside the United States for the first time since it was launched in 2014, the elite biennial event will be hosted by Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon and the first of two qualifying deadlines for the competing nations is less than a year away.
The eight countries, where selection is based on the combined world rankings of individuals, will be determined on June 4 next year, on the Monday after the U.S. Women’s Open, while the four-player teams will be confirmed on July 2, the Monday after the 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
"The UL International Crown has become a premier event in professional golf. It's a unique challenge showcasing country versus country and everyone in the world has a chance to participate," said UL President and CEO Keith Williams.
"UL is proud to sponsor this exciting tournament and to host it outside the United States for the first time. With the popularity of women's golf, especially throughout Asia, Korea is the perfect location to host the 2018 event and Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea is the ideal venue.
"The LPGA brings the highest level of integrity and competition to golf and they inspire us in our work every day helping to make the world a safer, more sustainable place. I look forward to welcoming fans to the UL International Crown in Korea in 2018."
"As a Korean, I am very proud that my country will be hosting the UL International Crown," said UL Ambassador So Yeon Ryu, the newly crowned world No. 1. "So many Koreans are going to be there so you're going to hear more Korean spoken instead of English.
"It will be really cool to represent my country in front of all the Korean fans but at the same time it's going to be a lot of pressure. With home course advantage, you have higher expectations so it's going to be tough but it's also going to be fun."
The UL International Crown was first held in 2014 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland where Spain, represented by Azahara Munoz, Beatriz Recari, Carlota Ciganda and Belen Mozo, won all four singles matches on the final day to become the inaugural champions.
Two years later, a powerful United States lineup of Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson and Gerina Piller came from behind to win the prestigious title at Merit Club in Chicago where Spain surprisingly failed to qualify for the event.
With dates now set for the third edition, sports fans in Korea can look forward to back-to-back weeks of world-class women's golf next year. The 2018 UL International Crown will be played from October 4-7, followed by the LPGA Tour's LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship at the nearby Sky 72 Golf Club Ocean Course from October 11-14.
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