SEOUL, Republic of Korea — The two-seed Japan Team and the three-seed Republic of Korea Team went head-to-head on Saturday in the last of the three four-ball sessions contested at the 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown, what were some of the more thrilling matches of the day at New Korea Country Club. Korea needed to tally 1.5 points to secure a spot in the semifinals, while Japan had to win or tie both of their matches to advance to Sunday play in the Republic of Korea.

Here’s how things ultimately shook out between Japan and Korea in Pool B.

Ayaka Furue/Rio Takeda vs. Jin Young Ko/Haeran Ryu

Score: Tied

With the Japan Team and Korea Team both needing to win their matches to advance, the Japan Team elected to send out Ayaka Furue and Rio Takeda to compete against Jin Young Ko and Haeran Ryu from the Korean Team to get the day started.

The match was back and forth all day, with each team winning two holes through the first six played, all coming via birdie, except for the par-5 4th hole, where Takeda made eagle to secure the advantage. The Japan Team won the seventh and eighth holes to move to 2 up on the match and headed into the turn with the lead.

The Korean Team rallied back in front of their home crowd on the back nine. Back-to-back birdies from Ryu on holes 12 and 13 moved the match into a tie where the match remained until the conclusion of play.

Mao Saigo/Miyu Yamashita vs. Hyo Joo Kim/Hye-Jin Choi

Score: Japan wins 1 up

In the second match of Japan vs. Korea, Miyu Yamashita and Mao Saigo took on Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi which saw the Korean Team get out to a commanding start. Kim and Choi won three of the first four holes to take a quick 3-up lead.

The 3-up margin remained heading into the ninth hole, but a birdie from Saigo pushed momentum to the Japanese duo heading into the back nine. Saigo made birdie once again on the 10th hole, cutting the lead to just one hole. The 1-up lead continued from the Korean Team until the 16th hole, when Saigo rolled in a birdie on the par-3 to tie the match.

The teams matched birdies on the gettable par-5 17th hole, with Yamashita and Choi both making four. The match came down to hole 18, and a full point was needed for Japan to advance to Sunday. All four players hit the green and had putts for birdie, with Japan’s Yamashita sticking it the closest.

The first three went, all narrowly missing their birdie opportunities, leaving the door wide open for the rookie from Japan. Yamashita stepped up, took one last look at the hole, and buried her putt to send Japan to the semifinals and to eliminate the Koreans from the competition on their home soil.

“I did feel a lot of pressure on the last putt,” said Yamashita. “Seeing the team next to the green helped a lot too. So, I was able to make the putt.”

Japan Team vs. Republic of Korea Team Day Three Match Results: 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown

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