The United States claimed the final semifinal berth on the LPGA International Crown on Saturday to e-book a conflict with Thailand, the one crew to emerge from four-balls pool play with a most six wins.
The United States, already closing in on a semifinal spot after Friday’s matches, misplaced one match and halved one other in opposition to Sweden, however that was greater than sufficient as China cut up its two with England — unable to get the 2 victories it wanted to have an opportunity of advancing.
Meanwhile, Thailand accomplished an ideal pool play efficiency as Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul beat Australia’s Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou 1-up and Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn beat Hannah Green and Sarah Kemp 3&2.
Tavatanakit and Thitikul had been 3-up via 13 holes when Lee and Kyriacou gained two straight holes with birdies.
“I think it woke me up a little bit when they started making putts,” Tavatanakit mentioned. “Steph was really clutch coming down the end. You’ve got to give that to her.
“But we did what we had to do, and we ended up finishing, winning.”
After the sixteenth gap was tied with pars, Thitikul matched Kyriacou’s birdie at 17 and Tavatanakit matched Kyriacou’s birdie on the par-5 18th to seal the win.
“We had to get the birdies to beat them,” Thitikul mentioned.
With six match wins beneath their belts this week, Tavatanakit mentioned the Thais are feeling “good vibes” heading into Sunday at TPC Harding Park, the place every semi-final will encompass two singles and a foursomes match.
The winner will return Sunday afternoon for a last in the identical format.
“It’s match play,” Tavatanakit mentioned. “At the end of the day anything can happen. We’re just going to give it our best and hopefully we bring home the trophy.”
They’ll be up in opposition to a US crew that includes world primary Nelly Korda, newly minted main winner Lilia Vu, Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang.
Sweden unbeaten
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall beat Vu and Korda 1 up on Saturday whereas Thompson and Kang tied with Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark within the last match of the day.
Vu holed out from the green for eagle on the sixth gap as she and Korda led a lot of their match, however Nordqvist’s birdies at 15 and 17 had been sufficient for a win.
Sagstrom and Stark had been 2-up via 13 holes, however the Americans gained 14, 15 and 16 to go 1-up, just for Stark’s birdie to win the 18th and forge the tie.
Also Read | Sweden, Thailand improve to 4-0, U.S. 3-1 at LPGA International Crown
By then, nevertheless, the United States was already assured of going via. China’s Yin Ruoning and Lin Xiyu had earned one of many factors they wanted with a 2&1 win over England’s Bronte Law and Jodi Ewart-Shadoff.
But Alice Hewson and Liz Young claimed England’s solely round-robin win when Hewson’s birdie at 18 gave them a 1-up win over Liu Yu and Liu Ruixin.
The different semifinal will pit Sweden, winner of Pool A with 5 1/2 factors, in opposition to Australia, who completed second in Pool B to Thailand with 3 1/2 factors.
In different matches on Saturday, defending champion South Korea nabbed itsr first two wins of the week as Choi Hye-jin and Chun In-gee beat Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Ayaka Furue 3&1 and Ko Jin-young and Kim Hyo-joo beat Yuka Saso and Hinako Shibuno 3&2.