Through two days at TPC Harding Park, Sweden and Thailand have yet to lose.
The Swedish teams of Madelene Sagstrom/Maja Stark and Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall won their matches early Friday in the second round of the 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, giving them a sterling 4-0-0 mark in San Francisco.
Sweden has already earned a spot in Sunday’s semifinals, regardless of how things shake out during Saturday’s third round. Thailand will join the Scandinavians after closing out Korea in the final matches of the day on Friday to also secure a perfect start.
Patty Tavatanakit/Atthaya Thitikul defeated Jin Young Ko/Hyo Joo Kim while the sister squad of Ariya Jutanugarn/Moriya Jutanugarn took down Hye Jin Choi/In Gee Chun.
“I love this course. I feel like it is a really tight course, but it doesn’t seem tight for me just because I really love this course and I feel like I can really get it going with a lot of confidence,” Tavatanakit said. “That really helped with my flow, too. That’s why I really hit it well.”
Team USA, the top-seed in the eight-team event and the only team with all four members having won a major championship, was 1-1-0 after Day 1 after splitting its matches with China.
On Friday, the Lilia Vu/Nelly Korda duo knocked out Liz Young/Alice Hewson, while the Danielle Kang/Lexi Thompson team beat Bronte Law/Jodi Ewart Shadoff, which sent the English squad to its fourth loss in two days. The U.S. has 3 points out of a possible 4.
The Americans are fourth after two days, however, as Team Australia, with 3 ½ points, has also yet to lose a match. The teams dealt with chilly temperatures throughout the day and Saturday’s forecast is expected to bring rain.
“I’m a Florida girl and I get cold pretty easily, but I think making sure you adjust to the weather, clubbing up, talking to your caddie a little more with club selections, and staying warm is key,” said Korda. “Everyone is kind of dealing with it, so you’re just trying to stay as patient as possible.
“The golf course is tough. It’s tough weather and the fairways aren’t very wide, and it gets tricky out here, especially if the wind picks up. Trying to stay warm and patient is the key this week.”
The No. 2-seeded Korean squad and the fifth-seeded English team will return to play Friday but will do so having both been eliminated from advancing.
