Team England share their experience of UL International Crown 2018
UL International Crown is a biennial event from the LPGA, the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. We asked the England team to share their thoughts on playing in this year’s tournament.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff: “The first time I played in the UL International Crown, it was a great experience. It’s just as fun as playing the Solheim Cup, and it’s really great we have the opportunity to represent not just Europe, but our country of England. It was a great experience last time and I think we have a really good team this year. Hopefully we have a chance of winning. We have a really solid team – a lot of youth. I’m going to be the oldest one on the team. Everybody’s really chilled out and we’re gonna have a really good team atmosphere. It’s going to be really fun.
“It’s going to be huge in Korea. I’ve heard that they’ve sold out tickets already after the first go-around. The crowds are gonna be just as big, if not bigger than the President’s Cup. It’s probably going to be really nerve-racking but it’ll be fun too.
“The whole team atmosphere, it’s really laid-back and really stress free. I like the unique format and overall, it’s a really fun week. It’s not stressful as playing in a regular tournament and we get to represent our country, that’s what makes it special.”
Bronte Law: “I’m really excited. Everyone that I’ve spoken to who has played in the event before has said what a great event it is and how much fun the week is and the fact that it’s in Korea, I’ve never been to Korea before so that’s really cool. Any time you get to represent your country, it’s definitely special and it’s something that I have always really enjoyed growing up playing amateur golf. It’s been a big part of my life so I’m really excited.
“It really is cool to be part of a four-player team. There’s nothing like playing team golf. I grew up playing all different sports when I was younger and I always loved that team aspect, the camaraderie and the support of each other is just incredible and it’s something that’s really special given that we play an individual sport and the fact that it can be made into a team event is really cool.
“It was a big goal of mine to make this team at the start of the year and I really had to play well and get my ranking up because I only played one year on the LPGA Tour so it was going to be challenging but I made that a big goal of mine. I always pride myself on really looking to play in team events, whether it’s Solheim Cup or when I was an amateur it would always be a goal to play in the Curtis Cup. I always prioritized those just because I think they are a great experience.
“I don’t really know what to expect, to be honest. I’ve heard many things and I’m just excited because I know they love golf out there and it’s always cool to play in front of people who share a passion that you share. I’ve heard that it can get kind of interesting out there with the crowds but it’s something you have to deal with as a player and the fact that Korea is such a good team and they will have such huge crowds and support out there will make it a really good event.”
You can follow the LPGA on TV and web channels, the Golf Channel and www.LPGA.com. Join the social conversation at www.facebook.com/lpga, www.twitter.com/lpga and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo, and on Instagram at @lpga_tour.