Top-seeded South Korea are to be without world No. 3 Inbee Park at next month’s LPGA International Crown, with 11th-ranked Ryu So-yeon to replace her in the eight-nation team golf event.
Park has been nagged for weeks by a left-thumb injury and she has already pulled out of next month’s US Women’s Open, so her absence was expected from the July 21 to July 24 event at the Merit Club in suburban Chicago.
However, Park’s anticipated replacement, ninth-ranked Jang Ha-na, was unable to play, so Ryu was selected to join fifth-ranked Kim Sei-young, world No. 6 Chun In-gee and eighth-ranked Amy Yang on the South Korea squad.
“After the Women’s PGA Championship, I met with doctors and my medical team and they strongly recommended rest for my left-thumb injury to heal,” Park said. “I cannot commit to International Crown this year and giving an opportunity to one of my Korean colleagues seemed more appropriate.”
The International Crown is to feature eight four-woman teams from Taiwan, South Korea, the US, Japan, Australia, Thailand, England and China. Five teams are to advance from pool play to the title-deciding singles matches.
Two other substitutions to the lineups from rankings were made, with Japan’s Shiho Oyama withdrawing due to a back injury and replaced by Ai Suzuki, and China’s Feng Simin replacing Yuting Shi, who withdrew due to a schedule conflict.
South Korea’s four top-ranked players on July 11 are to qualify for the Rio Olympics, where golf returns after a 112-year absence.
Most nations are to send only two women golfers, but up to four can play if they are ranked in the world top 15.
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