2014 Korea-Japan Women's National Golf Team Competition

Is there a reason that Japan players, on the LPGA aren't included.
You probably answered this question before.
I just don't recall, why.

Japan never has. I don't know if that is in their rules or whatnot. I know, at one point, there was talk of having this be a KLPGA Vs JLPGA event, and only the players within those two tours could participate. Clearly that went by the wayside. Even if the LPGA players were included, though, it doesn't look like it would help too much. Only three players on the LPGA Tour are inside the Rolex Top 100 - Mika Miyazato (#77), Haru Nomura (#84) and Ai Miyazato (#98).

Thanks for the link!

Team Korea has a group meeting in preparation for this weekend. GO SISTERS!!!

Friday practice session

Inbee Park & So Yeon Ryu





Mirim Lee & Chella Choi







Bo Mee Lee & Sun Ju Ahn









Hyo Joo Kim and Jung Min Lee









Min Young Lee and In Gee Chun









NYC & Jiyai Shin





Kyu Jung Baek



w/ Jiyai Shin

A few more pix

Bo Mee and Sun Ju





Jung Min Lee



Cheers from more of the Korean squad!!



The Teams



Good luck, Sisters!!!! HWAITING!!

Day 1 Pix

The Trophy



Teams enter



Captains shake hands



Pledge to the Flag



Root for your team!







Sun Ju and Bo Mee

















Mirim and Chella











Jiyai and Kyu Jung





















In Gee and Min Young





Hyo Joo and Jung Min















Inbee and So Yeon













NYC didn't play but gave support





Momoko Ueda

Day 2: Korea Romps to Win, But There were a Few Tense Moments

Korea came into the singles matches with a strong lead, but that was true last year, and the Japanese still had rallied to give the Koreans a scare. They briefly did the same this year; at one point, nine of the matches were too close to call. But by the back nine, the Sisters had things firmly under control, and went on to easily defend the cup!

Here's how things broke down:

Match 1: Hyo Joo Kim vs. Shiho Oyama



They gave Hyo Joo the job of going out first to establish a tone.  That's a big responsibility, and once again Kim showed how clutch she can be.

On Saturday, she teamed with Jung Min Lee for an easy win, but on this day, Oyama gave her all she could handle. Indeed, Oyama led or was tied for the lead the entire round, moving to a 1 stroke lead with a birdie on 13. It stayed that way until the final hole, when, much like at the Evian, Kim made a clutch birdie and Oyama bogied. Just like that, she stole two points for Korea. This girl is something else, and that's why she was named MVP of the event. Korea win 71-72

Match 2: Jung Min Lee vs. Rikako Morita



This match was close all day. Lee tied it with a birdie on 10, but a double bogey on 16 dropped her one back (Morita made bogey). But Morita also bogied 17, and they ended the day tied. Tie 73-73

Match 3: Min Young Lee vs. Ayaka Watanabe

This one was brutal, with both players struggling. But even here, Korea captured a needed tie to get one point closer to the trophy. Tie: 77-77

Match 4: Mirim Lee vs. Ritsuko Ryu



With the first three matches toss ups, the Koreans needed SOMEONE to establish a strong lead. Mirim stepped in. She made three straight birdies from 6-8, and held onto a lead she even after a more dicey back nine. Korea win 69-73

Match 5: Chella Choi vs. Miki Sakai



Much like Mirim, Chella established a good lead early, making three birdies and one bogey on the front nine to go up by three. Her opponent couldn't do anything right. Chella was another strong positive for the Sisters all day. Korea Win: 72-78

Match 6: Kyu Jung Baek vs. Ai Suzuki



Baek became the third runaway Korean leader in a row, thrashing Suzuki hard all day. Suzuki started double-bogey-bogey, and when she finally started making pars, Baek responded with birdies on 3 of the next four holes. Baek's win clinched the cup for Korea! Korea win: 73-79

Match 7: In Gee Chun vs. Kaori Ohe



It wasn't Chun's week. She played decently, making all pars until a birdie on 15, and produced a not-bad 73. But her opponent was the low scorer for the Japanese. Japan win: 69-73

Match 8: Bo Mee Lee vs. Yumiko Yoshida



Yoshida led on the front nine, but five bogies and two birdies on the back sunk her. Lee cruised in and snatched the win. Korea win: 72-76

Match 9: Na Yeon Choi vs. Lala Anai



Both players struggled. This was close all day, but Choi bogied the last hole and handed the win to Japan. Japan win: 74-75

Match 10: Inbee Park vs. Erina Hara



Inbee had a horrible week. She was never in this one, which caused a bit of stress early when so many matches were close. In the end it didn't matter. Japan win: 70-75

Match 11: Jiyai Shin vs. Momoko Ueda



Ueda went on a tear on the front nine, making four birdies and one bogey to take a 2 shot lead. But on the back, nothing went right. She had six bogies and one birdie there, and Shin grabbed an easy win. Korea win 70-73

Match 12: So Yeon Ryu vs. Misuzu Narita



This one was crazy. Narita made two bogies right out of the gate, Ryu a birdie, and just like that, So Yeon was up by three. A few holes later, they were tied again. Then So Yeon got serious. Birdies on 7 and five of six starting on 10, and she basically blew Narita off the course. Korea win: 67-77

The final score on day two was Korea 16 - Japan 8, and the final total score was Korea 25, Japan 11.

As mentioned before, Hyo Joo Kim was deservedly MVP. A fantastic job by her and the Korean squad. WAY TO GO!!!