Home favourites Korea win LPGA crown

SEOUL: Top seeds South Korea delighted their home fans by holding off the US and England to win the LPGA International Crown in Incheon on Sunday.

The heavily fancied Korean team of Chun In-gee, IK Kim, Park Sung-hyun and Ryu So-yeon doubled their two-point overnight lead during the final day singles in the team golf event.

“We never feel nervous going into a major, but we were nervous for a couple months before this,” Ryu said about playing in front of the packed home galleries at the Jack Nicklaus Club.

“There were so many fans out here,” Kim said. “I just had to tell myself to focus on every shot.”

The Koreans began the day a with a two-point lead and won two of their Sunday singles to finish on 15pts for the tournament, four clear of the chasing pair.

Kim beat England’s Bronte Law 2up and Chun overcame Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist on the final hole of a tense battle to secure the winning points.

Korea’s world number one Park lost 2 and 1 to Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, and Ryu halved her match with Lexi Thompson of the US.

“The fans got what they wanted today,” lamented Cristie Kerr of the US team. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”

The tournament was truncated after Saturday’s play was washed out by Typhoon Kong-Rey.

Leading final standings after Sunday’s singles: 1. South Korea (Chun In-gee, Kim In-kyung Kim, Park Sung-hyun, Ryu So-yeon) 15pts, 2. United States (Cristie Kerr, Jessica Korda, Lexi Thompson, Michelle Wie) 11pts, 3. England (Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, Bronte Law, Jodi Ewart Shadoff) 11pts, 4. Thailand (Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Pornanong Phatlum, Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong) 10pts.