After finishing second in 2023 at TPC Harding Park behind Thailand, the Australian team got their revenge by winning the 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown on Korean soil.
The Aussies overcame the United States in Sunday's final at the New Korea Country Club, sealing the deal when Minjee Lee and Hannah Green won the deciding singles, both 2-1 over Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh, respectively.
Australia, news
The foursome between Australians Stephanie Kyriacou and Grace Kim against Americans Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin became meaningless as soon as Green bogeyed the second singles on the 17th hole.
Australia fought its way to the final, sharing points with the World Team in the singles: Charley Hull beat Hannah Green 2-1, while Minjee Lee defeated Brooke Henderson 1-up on the 18th hole, giving the Aussies a crucial point.
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It was then Kyriacou and Kim's turn to win the foursome: after Kim's decisive birdie on the 18th hole to tie the score, the Australians closed out the foursome on the 20th hole against the World Team, earning a place in the final.
In the final, Australia chose to pit Lee against Yin in the first singles match and Green against Noh in the second. Kyriacou and Kim repeated the foursome against Vu and Coughlin.
Yin was up one point after the 4th hole (par 5), Lee tied it on the 5th. Lee took the lead on the 9th, Yin responded on the 10th. They exchanged shots between the 12th and 15th; Lee regained the lead on the 16th (par 3) and closed on the 17th with the final 2&1. Australia's first point.
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Green started strong: 3 up after holes 4, 5, and 6. Noh closed the gap on the 8th (2 down) and on the 10th (1 down). Green extends the lead again on the 12th, and Noh responds with a birdie on the 15th. Green holds firm and closes with a birdie on the 18th, 2-1, and the title is in the bag.
I knew it would be tough against Yealimi, said Green. We play similarly, tee shots even. When I birdied, she responded. When I got to three up, I kept my foot on the gas. The putt on the last hole I was so nervous, I knew what it meant. I'm happy to have contributed.
The World Team won the consolation match, beating Japan and finishing in third place.
LPGA Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown
Team competitions are among the most exciting events on the golf calendar, not only for the fans, but also for the players who participate. This week, the fifth annual Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown kicks off just outside Seoul at the New Korea Country Club in the Republic of Korea, where the top women's golfers will represent their countries in four days of competition.
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Every two years, the top-ranked nations in women's golf compete in a team competition known as the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown. In 2025, seven of the world's top-ranked nations, determined by the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings of each country's top four players, have earned the right to compete in the International Crown. New this year is the addition of a World Team, comprised of four players from countries that did not have enough players to form a full team. The top four players from each eligible regionAfrica and Oceania, the Americas, Asia, and Europequalified at the conclusion of the AIG Women's Open in August.
Participating countries were determined at the conclusion of the KPMG Womens PGA Championship in June, but the members of each team were finalized using the Rolex Rankings from August 4. The eight teams have been confirmed and classified as follows:
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No. 1 United States Angel Yin, Lauren Coughlin, Lilia Vu, Yealimi Noh (replaced Nelly Korda, who retired)
No. 2 Japan Miyu Yamashita, Rio Takeda, Mao Saigo, Ayaka Furue
No. 3 Republic of Korea Hyo Joo Kim, Haeran Ryu, Jin Young Ko, Hye-Jin Choi
No. 4 Australia Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Grace Kim, Steph Kyriacou
No. 5 Thailand Jeeno Thitikul, Chanettee Wannasaen, Pajaree Annanarukarn (replaced Patty Tavatanakit, retired), Jasmine Suwannapura (replaced Ariya Jutanugarn, retired)
No. 6 Sweden Maja Stark, Madelene Sagstrom, Ingrid Lindblad, Linn Grant
No. 7 World Team Brooke Henderson, Charley Hull, Wei-Ling Hsu, Lydia Ko
No. 8 People's Republic of China Ruoning Yin, Weiwei Zhang, Yan Liu, Ruixin Liu
The teams will compete over four days, starting with doubles (four-ball) matches on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Teams will be awarded one point for a win, half a point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. The two nations with the most points in the first three days of competition in Groups A and B will advance to Sunday.
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On Sunday morning, two semifinals will be played, each consisting of two singles matches and one foursomes match, between the team with the most points in Group A and the second-placed team.
