Seoul, Korea: The third edition of the LPGA Tour’s International Crown team match play event will move to Korea in 2018.
UL (Underwriters Laboratories) will serve as the title sponsor for the biennial event in 2016 and also 2018.
Following the second staging of the tournament at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, the 2018 edition in Korea will mark the first time the event has been held outside America. Venue and dates will be confirmed later.
Mike Whan, Commissioner of the LPGA, said: “The Republic of Korea has clearly demonstrated its support for the LPGA by hosting 18 different tournaments over the years with tremendous fan support. It made perfect sense that the first time we take the International Crown outside of the United States was to a country with so many dedicated fans and supporters of women’s golf.”
Park In-bee
World number two
Park In-bee, the five-time Major winner, competed for Korea in the inaugural edition in July and is delighted that the third edition will be held in her home country.
“It was a great honour to represent Korea this year in Baltimore and our team received an overwhelming amount of support and attention back home during the event,” Park said. “I look forward to playing in front of our fans in 2018 and know our nation will help elevate the event on an international scale.”
Spain were crowned the event’s first champions as they topped seven other top nations at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland.
“We are thrilled to announce UL as the title sponsor for the 2016 and 2018 UL International Crown,” Whan said. “When we came up with the idea for the International Crown our goal was to launch a truly global event for women’s golf, which we did this year at Caves Valley Golf Club. We were looking for a partner to help grow it globally and I can think of no better partner than UL, whose business aligns perfectly with the LPGA.”
Keith Williams, CEO of UL, an Ambassador Sponsor at the inaugural International Crown, said: “We are very proud to extend our involvement with this one-of-a-kind international tournament in women’s golf. UL is a safety science company protecting people, products and places for more than a century.
“UL’s long-established history of championing innovation and the LPGA’s rooted history in advancing leadership and competition makes us unique partners of global excellence.”
