Three years into the start of a pandemic that flipped the world on its side and put parts of our lives on hold, the impacts are still being felt as the world continues to try and get back on track.
Four years ago, Hannah Green enjoyed a breakout season on the LPGA Tour by winning her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and a second victory just months later at the Portland Classic. Then COVID happened. All the momentum the Aussie felt in anticipation of the 2020 season was quickly diminished as events were canceled. She spent weeks in quarantine trying to travel back and forth from her home in Australia. The pandemic took its toll on Green and, frankly, on us all.
It has taken Green the better part of three years to regain the form that saw her capture those first two wins. And on Sunday, after two close calls at Wilshire Country Club, Green rediscovered what it takes to win again on the LPGA Tour. She defeated Xiyu Lin and Aditi Ashok on the second hole of a playoff at the inaugural JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro to capture her third career win on the LPGA Tour and first win since the pandemic began. After her winning putt dropped on Sunday, the emotion of what Green had endured over the past few years came pouring out as tears streamed down her face.
“I was so excited for 2020 and then obviously COVID happened, so it was really strange coming back to tournaments to defend with no spectators and obviously the COVID lifestyle,” Green said about her struggles over the last few seasons. “Last year I was close, but probably not as close as I have been before. I guess that's why I was tearing up after the round, just because I've had so many good results and that's why we work so hard is to be able to hoist a trophy. It just shows how much it means.”
Thursday an event sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic returns once more to the LPGA Tour’s schedule with the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown. The team competition, which pits the top four players from the eight highest ranked countries according to the Rolex Rankings, began in 2014 and was held every two years. The International Crown was last played in Incheon, Republic of Korea in 2018, but the 2020 edition was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and never returned to the schedule. Until this week.
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown returns to the LPGA Tour’s schedule. TPC Harding Park, outside San Francisco, is hosting the event and will be the first professional women’s event to be held at the famed club, which most recently hosted the PGA Championship in 2020.
The International Crown is a don’t-look-away, don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it kind of event that has produced thrilling moments since it began in 2014.
In 2016, at Merit Club outside Chicago, Mel Reid represented Team England on her own when her teammate, Charley Hull, became ill and was unable to compete. And in 2018, the team from the Republic of Korea came into the week as favorites and played under the pressure of trying to win in front of record setting crowds in their home country only to come out on top at week’s end.
This year’s event features the top-ranked United States which is represented by Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Lilia Vu and Danielle Kang.
The No. 2 seed is the Republic of Korea and is made up of Jin Young Ko, Hyo Joo Kim, In Gee Chun and Hye Jin Choi.
Japan is the No. 3 seed and the team features Nasa Hataoka, Ayaka Furue, Yuka Saso and Hinako Shibuno.
Sweden comes into the week as the No. 4 seed with team members Maja Stark, Madelene Sagstrom, Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall.
At the No. 5 seed is the team from England which features Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Bronte Law, Alice Hewson and Liz Young.
Thailand holds the No. 6 seed and is made up of Atthaya Thitikul, Patty Tavatanakit, and Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn.
The No. 7 seed is the team from Australia which includes Minjee Lee, Hanna Green, Stephanie Kyriacou and Sarah Kemp.
And the final No. 8 seed belongs to the People’s Republic of China which features Xiyu Lin, Ruoning Yin, Yu Liu and Ruixin Liu.
Thursday, play begins with four days of four-ball competition between the eight teams. Two semifinal matches will be held on the fourth and final day. The semifinal matches are made up of two singles matches and one foursomes match. The countries who win the morning semifinal will compete in the final match on Sunday afternoon, and another match will be held between the two losing countries from the morning match to determine the third-place finisher.
Teams get one point for a win, half a point for a tie, and don’t receive any points for a loss. The countries with the most points accumulated during the fourball matches will determine the two countries that will advance from each pool and compete in the semifinal match on Sunday morning.
Three years ago, the pandemic began and turned the world as we know it upside down. But as life continues to return to some semblance of normalcy, it has helped players like Green get back to their winning ways and allowed for events to return to the schedule.
It’s been a long few years. But we’re all getting back on track.
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