Sports
Thailand Defeats Australia to Win the LPGA International Crown Championship
(CTN News) – On Sunday, Thailand defeated Australia 3-0 in the championship match to win the LPGA International Crown. Thailand went undefeated during the whole international team competition held at Harding Park.
Patty Tavatanakit leads Thailand to victory over Australia in singles
After Patty Tavatanakit’s 4&3 victory over Hannah Green and Atthaya Thitikul’s 4&2 victory over Stephanie Kyriacou in singles, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn’s 4&3 victory over Minjee Lee and Sarah Kemp in foursomes sealed the deal.
Thitikul remarked, “It means a lot for all of us.” We have worked hard this week to get this award for our country.
I believe we can beat any team globally because we are one of the top teams in the world.
Sixth-seeded Thailand went 11-1 during the week, including a perfect run through round-robin play, before knocking off first-seeded USA 2-1 in the semi-finals on Sunday morning.
In the second semifinal, the seventh-seeded Australians defeated Sweden 3-0, but they were no match for the stars of Thailand.
Tavatanakit said, “It means a lot, and for us to come all the way this far, it’s so great for our country.”
You can tell there will be many Thai rookies this season. You may rest assured that this will continue to thrive and serve as an inspiration to new generations.
One player said, “I’m just so proud of all of us to be able to play and give it all we got and just try to make our home country proud.”
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At the juncture, Thitikul and Kyriacou were tied. Thitikul grabbed a three-up lead after winning the 12th hole with an eight-foot birdie putt, the 14th with a par, and the 15th by getting up and down from a bunker for par.
Kyriacou gave up the winning point and the hole when she missed a birdie putt from 12 feet out.
Tavatanakit won the first three holes, going 3-up, with birdies on holes 2, 5, and 4. Green won the next two holes with birdies, but Tavatanakit won holes 7, 11, and 13 to go 4-up. She ultimately prevailed after tied games 14 and 15.
“I was patient out there,” Tavatanakit explained. “I knew it was going to be tougher because everyone is tired, so I just tried to be as consistent as possible, and that helped.”
The Jutanugarn sisters, who defeated the United States ladies and went undefeated for the week, took a commanding 4-up lead after birdieing the first four holes of their final round.
Aussies settle for second place, US takes third in International Crown
Ariya, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, chipped in for par on the par-5 15th to ensure a sweep for her team.
Moriya remarked, “It is a great privilege to serve our country.” Everyone played each game to the best of their ability. We worked hard to put together a solid performance.
Kemp found solace in Australia having its best-ever finish by making it to the final.
“I think we made everyone in Australia proud by finishing second,” she gushed. “This is the best performance by an Australian team at this competition. Despite the inevitable disappointment, this is a major victory for us.
In the match for third place, the United States prevailed over Sweden by a score of 2-1.
The International Crown is a biennial team competition that was first held in 2014 but had to be postponed for five years because of the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
