A quick look at this week’s International Crown:
- The 2009 NCAA Tournament was held at Caves Valley, the site of this week’s International Crown. Arizona State won the team title, behind Spain’s Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda. USC finished third with Spain’s Belen Mozo. The only other team with an International Crown participant was fourth-place Oklahoma State, which had Pernilla Lindberg and Caroline Hedwall of Sweden on its squad.
- Azahara Munoz’s only career LPGA victory came at the 2012 Sybase Match Play Championship. En route to the win, she beat International Crown participants Lindsey Wright (Australia), Karrie Webb (Australia), Stacy Lewis (U.S.) and Candie Kung (Chinese Taipei).
- Karrie Webb is the oldest player in the competition (39), has the most wins (41) and is the only World Golf Hall of Fame member competing. Even though Webb hasn’t been eligible for this type of team competition before, she did carry the Olympic torch prior to Australia hosting the 2000 Olympic Summer Games.
- The only amateur in the field, Minjee Lee, plays for the Australians. Lee, 18, is also the youngest player competing and the top-ranked amateur in the world. The other teens in the field include the United States’ Lexi Thompson (19) and Thailand sisters Moriya (19) and Ariya (18) Jutanugarn.
- There are five players in the field who have been ranked No. 1 in the world, but none longer than Yani Tseng, Chinese Taipei’s top player. Tseng was No. 1 for 110 weeks (second only to Lorena Ochoa’s 158 weeks). Current No. 1 Stacy Lewis (U.S.) and former No. 1s Cristie Kerr (U.S.), Ai Miyazato (Japan) and Inbee Park (South Korea) are also playing in the International Crown.
- Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall was 5-0-0 in the 2013 Solheim Cup, including two pairings in alternate shot with countrywoman Anna Nordqvist.
- The Swedes have more United States college players than any team in the competition. Mikaela Parmlid, 33, won the 2003 NCAA Championship (Southern California), Anna Nordqvist attended Arizona State and Caroline Hedwall and Pernilla Lindberg played at Oklahoma State. Hedwall won the NCAA in 2010 at OSU.
- The Thailand team is the youngest in the International Crown. Their average age is 22. The Jutanugarn sisters are the only siblings playing this week. Moriya, the older, turns 20 on July 28, the day after the competition ends. The Miyazatos for Japan are not related.
- In January 2013, South Korea held a commanding 21-45 lead (cumulative Rolex Women’s World Rankings points) over the United States for the top position. But 14 months later, the United States rallied to take the top spot. At the conclusion of the Kia Classic, the U.S. had a total of 32 points to South Korea’s 33. South Korea led entering the Kia event 29-33. But American Lexi Thompson finished third and moved from 10th to ninth as South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi and I.K. Kim dropped a combined four spots (Choi from ninth to 11th and Kim from 13th to 15th). The U.S., which has won 11 of 18 events on the LPGA this year, and South Korea cannot meet until Sunday’s Singles.
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