Only two events remain before teams are finalized for the upcoming Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown.
When the Crown was last held in 2018 in South Korea, Michelle Wie West, Jessica Korda, Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson represented the U.S. This time around, Thompson might be the only U.S. player on the 2023 roster that has any Crown experience.
Eight countries have already qualified for the event, held May 4-7 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco: United States, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, England, Thailand, Australia and China.
The final field of 32 players and final country seedings will be confirmed as of April 3, 2023, following the DIO Implant LA Open. Teams are determined via the Rolex Rankings. There are no captains.
The top four Americans in the rankings will qualify. Here’s how things currently stand:
2. Nelly Korda
Nelly Korda is the highest-ranked American at No. 2 in the world behind Kiwi Lydia Ko. Because there hasn’t been a Crown staged since 2018, the youngest Korda has yet to compete in this event. Korda has a 5-2-1 record at the Solheim Cup.
6. Lexi Thompson
Lexi Thompson has represented Team USA at all three Crowns, with the American team winning in 2016. Thompson took a share of third at the Aramco Saudi Arabia Ladies International, finishing two back of Lydia Ko in her only start of the season. She has to play on the LPGA in 2023.
12. Lilia Vu
Lilia Vu notched her first LPGA victory last month in Thailand. The former UCLA standout helped the U.S. claim victories at the 2018 Curtis Cup and the 2018 World Amateur Team Championship. Over the past year, Vu has risen more than 200 points in the Rolex Rankings.
14. Danielle Kang
A three-time Solheim Cup participant, Danielle Kang has yet to compete in a Crown event. Kang moved up four spots in the rankings after a T-3 performance at the HSBC last week. She has a 5-7-0 Solheim Cup record.
17. Jennifer Kupcho
Jennifer Kupcho has dropped in the rankings a bit this year, dipping from 13th earlier this year to 17th after a share of 60th in Thailand and a share of 43rd in Singapore. Kupcho made her Solheim Cup debut two years ago at Inverness and joined Vu on winning Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams in 2018.
25. Jessica Korda
Jessica Korda, who celebrated her 30th birthday while in Singapore last week, made her first start on the LPGA since last September after recovering from a back injury. She struggled with rounds of 76-78-79-72. Korda has represented Team USA at three Solheim Cups as well as the 2018 International Crown.
30. Megan Khang
Megan Khang has dropped three spots in the rankings since the beginning of the year after a couple of top-40 finishes in Asia. The two-time Solheim Cup player has never competed in a Crown. She remains one of the best players on tour without a victory.
32. Andrea Lee
Former Stanford standout Andrea Lee broke through on the LPGA last season with her first victory and put herself squarely in the mix for all the team comps. However, Lee finished outside the top 50 in Thailand and Singapore. She’ll need a big move in the coming weeks.
35. Allisen Corpuz
Allisen Corpuz moved up 16 spots n the rankings after taking a share of third at the HSBC. It marked her third top-three finish on the LPGA since last summer. Corpuz was ranked outside the top 700 in the world one year ago. The 24-year-old was a rookie last year and banked over $700,000.
39. Ally Ewing
Ally Ewing notched her third career title last September at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Following a slow start at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Ewing didn’t play in Asia. A two-time Solheim Cup player, Ewing has a 2-5-1 record.
