Sweden swept China, and Thailand held off South Korea to stay unbeaten on the Hanwha LifePlus International Crown on Friday in San Francisco.

Fourth-seeded Sweden now leads Pool A at 4-0 via two days of round-robin play - locking up a berth within the semifinals - and the top-seeded United States moved into second at 3-1 after taking each factors from England on Friday. Sweden and the U.S. will battle Saturday on the ultimate day of the round-robin stage.

In Pool B, sixth-seeded Thailand and seventh-seeded Australia (3-0-1) are assured development to the semifinals after Australia received one match and tied the opposite in opposition to Japan on Friday.

The International Crown is being performed for the primary time since 2018 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prime eight international locations in ladies’s golf had been decided by final yr’s Rolex Rankings and every nation despatched 4 of its prime gamers to the distinctive staff occasion.

The international locations had been seeded and cut up into two swimming pools, with groups competing in four-ball (finest ball) in a single round-robin format from Thursday to Saturday. One level can be awarded for a win and a half-point for a tie, with the highest two international locations advancing from every pool.

Two semifinal matches can be performed Sunday morning, every consisting of two singles matches and one foursomes (alternate-shot) match. The profitable semifinal international locations will compete within the last match on Sunday afternoon within the semifinal format.

On Friday, Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark defeated China’s Ruoning Yin and Xiyu Lin 2 and 1. The Swedes birdied the par-5 fifth, par-4 seventh and par-4 eighth at TPC Harding Park to go 3 up and held on from there.

Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall doubled the pleasure with a 2-and-1 victory over China’s Yu Liu and Ruixin Liu, going 3 up via six and staying the course.

“I’m really proud of my team,” Nordqvist stated. “I think we’ve all grown up with a lot of match play, a lot of playing for Sweden in the European team events and the World Amateur Championships. I think we’re just very comfortable and very confident.

“There’s just something special to it. We fight until the end. It’s match play; you never know what’s going to happen.”

Thai stars Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul dealt with South Korea’s Jin Young Ko and Hyo-Joo Kim 3 and a couple of. In the final match of the evening, sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand by no means trailed Hye-Jin Choi and In Gee Chun, main 3 up with three to play. The Koreans prolonged the match with Chun’s birdie on the par-4 sixteenth, however they halved the subsequent gap to finish the match.

Second-seeded South Korea, the defending champion, has but to attain a degree regardless of coming into the competitors with 4 top-25 golfers on the earth, together with three ranked within the prime 12.

Lilia Vu and Nelly Korda acquired the Americans on the board Friday by defeating England’s Alice Hewson and Liz Young 2 and 1. Danielle Kang and Lexi Thompson then beat Bronte Law and Jodi Ewart Shadoff 3 and a couple of, Thompson’s birdie on the par-4 sixteenth clinching the match.

Korda stated, “We were 2-down through 2, and honestly we were just kind of attacking pins. It was kind of cold out there, and then we finally got it back to even. On the back nine, we kind of turned it up where we won three in a row, and then after (that) we lost one, but Lilia made a nice putt on 17 to secure our win.

“Overall I think it was a lot of teamwork out there.”

Australia’s Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou beat Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Ayaka Furue 2 up. Both international locations held a lead within the second match, however Hannah Green and Sarah Kemp of Australia parred No. 16 whereas Hinako Shibuno and Yuka Saso each bogeyed, permitting Australia to attract even. The groups halved the ultimate two holes to separate the purpose.

The match continues Friday with the next matchups:

Matchups

Saturday Pool A

No. 1 United States vs. No. 4 Sweden

No. 5 England vs. No. 8 China

Saturday Pool B

No. 2 South Korea vs. No. 3 Japan

No. 6 Thailand vs. No. 7 Australia

Standings (W-L file, factors)

Pool A

1. Sweden 4-0, 4 factors

2. United States 3-1, 3 factors

3. China 1-3, 1 level

4. England 0-4, 0 factors

Pool B

1. Thailand 4-0, 4 factors

2. Australia 3-0-1, 3 1/2 factors

3. Japan 0-3-1, 1/2 level

4. South Korea 0-4, 0 factors