Women's Golf Takes Center Stage in Primetime with the UL International Crown from Korea

Thirty-Two Players Representing Eight Countries to Determine Best Women’s Golf Nation

(ORLANDO, Fla.) –Women’s golf will take center stage this week in primetime with the UL International Crown biennial match play competition, featuring 32 players representing eight countries battling to be crowned the best women’s golf nation. Golf Channel will air 25 hours of live coverage in primetime Wednesday-Sunday, Oct. 3-6, from Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, home to the 2015 Presidents Cup.

“This past weekend at the Ryder Cup, the sports world saw the intensity of match-play and what it means to represent your team and country in global golf competition,” said Molly Solomon, Golf Channel executive producer. “This week in South Korea, the world’s best female players will get the same chance at the UL International Crown, airing in primetime. We can’t wait to watch match-play again at the highest level.”

EIGHT COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: The UL International Crown, last contested in 2016 at the Merit Club outside of Chicago with the United States claiming the Crown, will feature eight countries competing in four days of head-to-head competition: Australia, Chinese Taipei, England, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Thailand and the United States. Four players will represent each country in the competition, who qualified based on the Rolex Women’s Rankings at the conclusion of the 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

TEAMS AND PLAYERS:
No. 1 Republic of Korea – Sung Hyun Park, So Yeon Ryu, In-Kyung Kim, In Gee Chun
No. 2 United States – Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie
No. 3 Japan – Nasa Hataoka, Misuzu Narita, Mamiko Higa, Ayako Uehara
No. 4 England – Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Bronte Law
No. 5 Australia – Minjee Lee, Katherine Kirk, Sarah Jane Smith, Su Oh
No. 6 Thailand – Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Pornanong Phatlum, Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong
No. 7 Sweden – Anna Nordqvist, Pernilla Lindberg, Madelene Sagstrom, Caroline Hedwall
No. 8 Chinese Taipei – Teresa Lu, Wei-Ling Hsu, Phoebe Yao, Candie Kung

The eight countries are split into two pools and will compete in three days of four-ball matches with the top two countries from each pool and one wild card country advancing to a final day of singles matches.

25 HOURS LIVE IN PRIMETIME: Golf Channel will dedicate 25 hours of live, primetime coverage of the matches, from the first tee-shot to the final putt, Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 3-6. Live television coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, followed by 9 p.m. ET Thursday-Saturday. Tom Abbott and Karen Stupples will rotate with Peter Donegan and Kate Burton in anchoring coverage from the broadcast booth. Alison Whitaker will be a tower announcer, with Kay Cockerill, Jerry Foltz and Dom Boulet reporting from the course. Lisa Cornwell will conduct interviews and report for Golf Central.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL COVERAGE: The UL International Crown will be streamed live on Golf Channel Digital, and the Golf Channel app. Streaming coverage will begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday – featuring one hour of bonus coverage Thursday and Friday prior to television coverage – and starting at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday. Golf Channel Digital also will have comprehensive editorial coverage of the UL International Crown with columns and daily blogs, led by GolfChannel.com senior writer Randall Mell.

Golf Channel’s social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – also will provide expanded social media coverage, with social media host Alexandra O’Laughlin contributing on-site throughout the week in South Korea.

UL International Crown Airtimes (all times Eastern)
Oct. 3 Day 1 - Four-ball Matches 8 p.m.-3 a.m.
Oct. 4 Day 2 - Four-ball Matches 9 p.m.-3 a.m.
Oct. 5 Day 3 - Four-ball Matches 9 p.m.-3 a.m.
Oct. 6 Day 4 - Singles Matches 9 p.m.-3 a.m.