*All tee times are local.
Pool A – England vs. Australia
9:15 a.m. – Charley Hull/Georgia Hall (ENG) vs. Minjee Lee/Sarah Jane Smith (AUS)
Thursday, England’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall will team up for the first time at the UL International Crown. Hall, a first time winner and major champion in 2018 is adding another first to her resume as she makes her debut this week at the UL International Crown. Her playing partner, Hull, competed in the 2016 matches with a record of 2-1-0 in four-balls. The duo will reunite for this pairing and hope to find more success this time around. They also played together at the 2017 Solheim Cup where they struggled in their one time pairing, losing to Team U.S.A. 2&1. Hull and Hall will take on Team Australia’s Minjee Lee and Sarah Jane Smith. Lee is a veteran for the Aussies, having competed in each of the first two editions of the UL International Crown with a record of 1-4-1. But her pairing with Smith will be a first, as this is Sarah Jane’s first appearance at the team competition.
9:30 a.m. – Bronte Law/Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG) vs. Katherine Kirk/Su Oh (AUS)
England’s Bronte Law will have teammate Jodi Ewart Shadoff to lean on in her debut at the UL International Crown, with Ewart Shadoff competing at the 2016 event outside Chicago. Ewart Shadoff went 2-0-1 that week in four-ball competition. They English tandem take on Australia’s Katherine Kirk and Su Oh, who will play together for the first time at the UL International Crown. Both Kirk and Oh have been previous members of Team Australia, just not at the same time. Kirk competed in the 2014 matches and Oh in 2016. Perhaps the fresh pairing will do them each well as they’ve both struggled in the four-ball format, in which they each have a record of 0-2-1.
Pool B – Japan vs. Thailand
9:45 a.m. – Nasa Hataoka/Ayako Uehara (JPN) vs. Moriya Jutanugarn/Pornanong Phatlum (THA)
Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Ayako Uehara are paired together for their debut match at the UL International Crown. Hataoka is in just her second season on the LPGA Tour and won for the first time in June at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Uehara was a late addition to the team as a replacement for Ai Suzuki, who was forced to withdraw due to an injury. The rookie pairing will square off against veterans Moriya Jutanugarn and Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand. The pair have played in all three editions of the UL International Crown and found success as a team in 2016. The pairing resulted in a 2&1 defeat of Team Japan during day one of the 2016 matches and they managed to halve their match with Team U.S.A. on day two. They’ll look to keep their success rolling against Team Japan on Thursday and add further success to their already solid four-ball record.
10 a.m. – Misuzu Narita/Mamiko Higa (JPN) vs. Ariya Jutanugarn/Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (THA)
A rookie paired with a veteran? It could be a winning combination for these two teams. Both Team Japan and Team Thailand are following the buddy system with a veteran guiding a first-timer for Thursday’s matches. Misuzu Narita makes her UL International Crown debut this week, and will play alongside the only returning player for Team Japan in Mamiko Higa. She has a record of 1-1-1 in four-balls. The pair will face another first timer on Team Thailand in Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong. She will play with veteran Ariya Jutanugarn, who is competing in her third UL International Crown. But the two-time major champion has struggled to find success in the event and has teamed with a different partner each year, resulting in a record of 1-3-2 in the four-ball competition.
Pool B – United States vs. Sweden
10:15 a.m. – Cristie Kerr/Lexi Thompson (USA) vs. Pernilla Lindberg/Madelene Sagstrom (SWE)
The unstoppable pairing of Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson is once again gearing up for this year’s UL International Crown. When playing together, the Americans have won more four-ball points (8) than any other pairing in the UL International Crown. They’ve also won the most matches (4) and played the most matches together (5). They’ll look to add to those winning numbers on Thursday when they take on Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg and Madelene Sagstrom. Lindberg will take the lead for this pairing as Sagstrom is competing for the first time. But she’s no stranger to team competition; Sagstrom was a captain’s pick in 2017 for the European Solheim Cup team. Lindberg has a record of 1-2-0 in four-ball competition at the UL International Crown.
10:30 a.m. – Jessica Korda/Michelle Wie (USA) vs. Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall (SWE)
Jessica Korda and Michelle Wie may be rookies this week, but that’s strictly in name only. The Americans are making their UL International Crown debut, but they are veterans to team competition. Korda was a part of the 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup Team, as well as a member of the Curtis Cup and Junior Solheim Cup, and Wie is a five-time member of Team U.S.A. at the Solheim Cup. Their experience will be tough to match but Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall will be up for the challenge. This gritty pairing reunites two players who missed the 2016 edition of the UL International Crown when Sweden failed to qualify, but both competed in 2014 with records of 2-0-1 in four-balls.
Pool A – Republic of Korea vs. Chinese Taipei
10:45 a.m. – Sung Hyun Park/In-Kyung Kim (KOR) vs. Candie Kung/Phoebe Yao (TPE)
Sung Hyun Park, the world’s top-ranked player, carries the weight of a nation as she looks to lead Team Korea to victory in their home country. The reserved Park, who has spoken openly about battling nerves, will have to keep them in check on Thursday and she makes her debut at the UL International Crown. She’ll play alongside major champion, In-Kyung Kim, who is returning to the event for the first time since 2014 when she went 1-2-0 in four-balls. They’ll take on Chinese Taipei’s Candie Kung and Phoebe Yao, who haven’t missed a single playing of the UL International Crown. And Kung and Yao played on the same team in 2014 and 2016, this week marks the first time the pair will play together. Kung has a record of 3-2-1 in four-balls and Yao a record of 1-2-0.
11 a.m. – In Gee Chun/So Yeon Ryu (KOR) vs. Teresa Lu/Wei-Ling Hsu (TPE)
Thursday, Korea’s In Gee Chun and So Yeon Ryu will team up for the first time in four-ball competition. Chun, who has made one appearance on Team Korea, went 2-1-0 in her debut in 2016. Chun joining forces with Ryu, who has won more points than anyone in the event’s history (12), will be a formidable pairing. Ryu’s record in four-balls is 4-2-0. The Koreans will take on Teresa Lu and Wei-Ling Hsu of Chinese Taipei, who are paired together for the first time. Lu, who hasn’t missed a playing of the UL International Crown, will lead the way with Hsu making her debut this week. Lu’s record is 2-3-1 in four-balls.
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