The LPGA Tour will welcome its first biennial global matchplay tournament called the International Crown in 2014.
Showcasing the strength in depth of the ladies circuit, the event will pit teams of four from eight different countries across a four-day matchplay format.
The teams will be based on cumulative Rolex Rankings of each country’s top four players at the conclusion of the 2013 CME Group Titleholders.
If teams for the Crown were selected right now according to the current world rankings, South Korea, United States, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Taiwan, Spain and England would battle for the inaugural title.
“At the LPGA, we celebrate great players from all over the world on a weekly basis, but this is the first time we’ll pit country versus country for global bragging rights,” says the LPGA’s commissioner Michael Whan.
“Only countries that have produced the best female teams can compete and only four players from any one country will be invited. The International Crown will take women’s golf to the next level and allow fans to rally behind their homelands.
“In sports, there is simply nothing greater than wearing your nation’s flag, fans singing your national anthem, and bringing the Crown home.”
The inaugural tournament will debut from July 21 to 27, 2014 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, near Baltimore in Maryland. In 2016, the Crown will be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, host of the 2009 Solheim Cup.
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