Hanwha and the LPGA Tour are proud to announce that the 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown will feature one World Team, marking the inclusion of athletes who would not otherwise qualify for the competition via country selection. The four-day match-play event will be held Oct. 23-26 at New Korea Country Club in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
For the first time, one World Team at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown will include the top-ranked player from each of the following four regions, not from a country already qualified: Americas (North America and South America); Europe; Asia; and Africa and Oceania. This World Team will compete alongside teams representing seven countries.
The addition of the World Team will add a new group of top-ranked athletes who merit inclusion in this elite event but who hail from countries that will not otherwise qualify. It will also serve to elevate the competition at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown, celebrating the true global nature of women’s golf.
The top seven countries will be determined by the combined Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (WWGR) of the top four players from each country as of the WWGR published after the conclusion of the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on June 23. Countries must have a minimum of four ranked players to be eligible.
The final field of 32 players will be determined via the WWGR published after the conclusion of the 2025 AIG Women’s Open on Aug. 4. The top four ranked players from each pre-qualified country will qualify for their respective country’s team. The four athletes representing the World Team will also be named at this player deadline.
If the countries were named as of today, the competition would include the United States of America (35 points), the Republic of Korea (53 points), Japan (54 points), Thailand (121 points), Australia (125 points), Sweden (208 points) and the People’s Republic of China (240 points), with England (387 points), Germany (387 points) and France (471 points) on the outside. The World Team would include Lydia Ko (New Zealand, WWGR No. 3), Celine Boutier (France, WWGR No. 9), Brooke Henderson (Canada, WWGR No. 25) and Peiyun Chien (Chinese Taipei, WWGR No. 88).
The Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown will be held over four days with a total prize pool of US$2 million, including US$500,000 for the winning team. The first three rounds will feature four-ball match play, while the final round will combine singles and foursomes match play to determine the champion.
The Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown is conducted by the LPGA and sponsored by LIFEPLUS, the joint brand of Hanwha’s financial affiliates, including Hanwha Life Insurance, Hanwha General Insurance, Hanwha Investment & Securities, Hanwha Life Financial Services, Carrot General Insurance, and Hanwha Asset Management. Hanwha LIFEPLUS became the title sponsor of the International Crown in 2023.
The International Crown was first staged in 2014 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland and was won by the Spanish Team (Carlota Ciganda, Belen Mozo, Azahara Munoz, Beatriz Recari). The 2016 edition was won by the host nation, with the U.S. Team (Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Mendoza, Lexi Thompson) emerging victorious at Merit Club in Illinois. The 2018 International Crown took place at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, Republic of Korea, where the Korean Team (In Gee Chun, In Kyung Kim, Sung Hyun Park, So Yeon Ryu) claimed victory.
After being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, the tournament resumed in 2023 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Calif., in partnership with Hanwha LIFEPLUS. The team from Thailand (Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Patty Tavatanakit, Jeeno Thitikul) emerged victorious.
Opened in 1966, New Korea Country Club is a prestigious golf course with a rich history and tradition located just 30 minutes from central Seoul. The course takes full advantage of its natural terrain, particularly with the beautiful cherry trees lining the peaks of Bukhansan Mountain, which provides an ideal setting for the world’s only country-versus-country team competition.
