All the matches are under way on day 3 of the International Crown and already there have been fireworks galore! Check back here for updates throughout the afternoon and evening. And feel free to check out Ron Sirak's and Randall Mell's twitter feeds as they're live-tweeting this thing!
Sweden vs. Australia
Anna Nordqvist has birdied 4 of her 1st 6 holes to lead teammate Caroline Hedwall (2 birdies) to a 2-up lead on Minjee Lee (2 birdies) and Karrie Webb (1 birdie).
Pernilla Lindberg and Mikaela Parmlid have picked up right where they left off, with 4 team birdies in the 1st 5 holes to go 2-up on Katherine Kirk and Lindsey Wright.
[Update 1 (2:06 pm): Hedwall birdies the 7th to bring Sweden's A-team 3-up.]
[Update 5 (2:14 pm): Nordqvist birdied the par-4 7th; they're now 4-up. Kirk and Wright both bogeyed the 7th to fall 3-down.]
[Update 12 (2:53 pm): Lindberg birdies 9 to bring her team to 4-up!]
[Update 21 (3:25 pm): Hedwall just misses eagle on the par-5 12th with a fantastic sand shot, while Lee leaves her 20-foot eagle attempt 6 inches right of the hole. Still a 4-up lead there.]
[Update 26 (3:33 pm): Parmlid made her 3rd birdie of the day and Kirk couldn't follow it up, so Team Sweden is now 5-up!]
[Update 42 (3:56 pm): Ouch, GC is showing Wright and Kirk's approaches on 12 and reminding us all this is where things started to go bad for them yesterday.]
[Update 43 (3:58 pm): Forgot to mention Lindberg birdied 12, so she and Parmlid are 6-up. I really thought Kirk and Wright would be stronger than Sweden's B-team before the week started!]
[Update 46 (4:06 pm): Parmlid and Lindberg played their last 31 holes in -16 and win 7&5 to get 2 points for Team Sweden!]
[Update 47 (4:09 pm): Webb and Lee have to win out to force a halve in the match and then they need Team Japan to sweep Team Korea, but even then I think the tie-breaker is the original seeding, so it looks to me like Australia has been eliminated.]
[Update 50 (4:13 pm): Nordqvist has a birdie putt to win the match, but it rolls 3 feet by after Hedwall failed to make her par save.]
[Update 52 (4:17 pm): It's automatic for Nordqvist and they win 4&3. Sweden finishes pool play with 7 points. They now lead Pool B.]
Spain vs. Taiwan
Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda have combined for 2 birdies in the 1st 3 holes against Ya Ni Tseng and Phoebe Yao and won the par-5 4th when the Taiwanese team both bogeyed it. They are now 3-up.
Meanwhile, Teresa Lu started eagle-birdie but she and Candie Kung are only 1-up on Beatriz Recari and Belen Mozo, as Mozo responded with a birdie on the par-3 3rd.
[Update 2 (2:07 pm): Spain's A-team is now 4-up through 5 as they dropped a pair of birdies on the par 4.]
[Update 6 (2:15 pm): Aza has made her 2nd birdie in a row to bring her team 5-up!]
[Update 7 (2:17 pm): Recari birdied the par-4 5th to bring their match all-square.]
[Update 14 (3:08 pm): Wow! Munoz and Ciganda are now 6-up through 9 after Yao couldn't save par from 12 feet.]
[Update 18 (3:17 pm): Great approach by Lu to a tough pin on #9.]
[Update 22 (3:26 pm): Lu follows it up with a fine putt to bring her team to 2-up.]
[Update 27 (3:35 pm): Wow! Great approach by Ciganda on 11--pulled the string and that's what kept it from being an eagle!]
[Update 31 (3:39 pm): Lu knocks it stiff as Tseng's putt goes all the way around the hole and refuses to drop. So Tseng and Yao are down 7 with 7 to play while Lu and Kung have a chance to go 3-up.]
[Update 33 (3:43 pm): Missed seeing Lu win the hole while we got to see a bit by the Jutanugarn sisters. Cute, but how about showing a match that could eliminate Team Spain? Maybe after the commercial break?]
[Update 34 (3:44 pm): Lu did make her 2nd birdie in a row but Mozo matched it. Match stays at 2-up. Sorry, I misread the leaderboard in the last update!]
[Update 41 (3:55 pm): Another great approach from Lu. She's playing like on Thursday!]
[Update 44 (4:02 pm): Recari makes birdie on 11 and Lu follows it up. Ya Ni birdies 12 and both Munoz and Ciganda miss makeable ones to close the the match, so they're "only" 6-up with 6 to play.]
[Update 51 (4:15 pm): Yao makes the must-make to force Munoz to win the match with a 7-footer. Money! Just like the Solheim Cup! Now Munoz and Ciganda, 6&5 winners, can go cheer on Recari and Mozo. Spain is tied with Thailand with 5 points right now.]
[Update 66 (4:44 pm): Mozo and Recari birdied 12 to get back to 1-down!]
[Update 72 (4:56 pm): Recari cleans up par on 14 to bring the match to all-square with 4 to go!]
[Update 78 (5:06 pm): 4 birdie tries on 15.]
[Update 84 (5:15 pm): No birdie for Recari. Or anyone else. Amazing we only got to see 1 putt on that hole!]
[Update 90 (5:30 pm): Amazing pitch-in from heavy rough by Belen Mozo on 16!!!! And great celebration with Beatriz!]
[Update 91 (5:31 pm): Teresa Lu almost matched it from just off the green, but Mozo's eagle brings them to 1-up with 2 to play.]
[Update 94 (5:37 pm): 3 on the green on 17, nobody super-close or super-far, but Recari's on the stone border near the pond right.]
[Update 98 (5:43 pm): Recari can't get the tough up and down, so it's going to be up to Mozo!]
[Update 99 (5:45 pm): She can't get the birdie, but she gets her par and forces Lu and Kung to make their putts to square the match.]
[Update 100 (5:46 pm): No birdie for Teresa.]
[Update 108 (6:07 pm): Wow, Mozo makes a long one to win the match 2-up, eliminate Taiwan, and move to the top of Pool A with 7 points!!!]
Korea vs. Japan
It's pars galore as Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu square off against the Okinawan giant-slayers, Mika Miyazato and Mamiko Higa. They're all-square through 3.
Na Yeon Choi and In-Kyung Kim dropped a birdie on Sakura Yokomine and Ai Miyazato on the very 1st hole, but the Japanese duo are used to coming from behind. They're 1-down through 2.
[Update 3 (2:08 pm): Inbee Park made the 1st birdie of the day to lift her and So Yeon Ryu to 1-up.]
[Update 9 (2:20 pm): Ryu birdies 5 to bring them 2-up.]
[Update 10 (2:41 pm): The M&Ms respond with a pair of birdies on the par-3 6th to pull back to 1-down.]
[Update 17 (3:16 pm): Looks like Ai-sama birdied the 7th to bring her and Yokomine all-square with NYC and Inky.]
[Update 20 (3:23 pm): Park sinks a sweeping left-to-right 18-footer for birdie to take the 8th and bring her team 2-up.]
[Update 24 (3:31 pm): Ouch--Yokomine missed a sliding downhiller 5-footer and they go 1-down to NYC and Inky.]
[Update 25 (3:32 pm): Wow, great approach by Ryu on #9--maybe even better than Lu's!]
[Update 30 (3:38 pm): Ryu makes birdie to go 3-up.]
[Update 35 (3:47 pm): Mikan pulls her approach short left of the green while Inbee pulls hers just past the pin on the green.]
[Update 45 (4:04 pm): Yokomine eagles 10 and has the cutest reaction in the world! NYC needs to jar it to halve the hole, but missed the green. Inky takes her try and flies it a little past the pin. The match is now all-square!]
[Update 49 (4:11 pm): Higa couldn't get her 16-footer to drop, so they lose the 11th to go 4-down with 7 to play.]
[Update 53 (4:19 pm): Ai-sama hits it to a foot on 11. This is about where she and Sakura came alive yesterday. They'll need a great push today to handle NYC and Inky!]
[Update 54 (4:23 pm): Inky's birdie try just slides by. Ai-sama's putt is conceded and they're 1-up!]
[Update 58 (4:32 pm): Higa with an eagle try from the left fringe on 12 breaks hard right and ends up 5 feet away. Ryu has an eagle chance.]
[Update 59 (4:34 pm): From the back fringe, Ryu leaves her 20-footer short and low, but closer than Mamiko.]
[Update 61 (4:35 pm): Higa side-doors her birdie try--in!]
[Update 63 (4:38 pm): Ryu answers it. Still 4-up, now with 6 holes to go.]
[Update 65 (4:43 pm): Higa uses the backstop on 13 and it rolls back almost all the way to the cup. She'll be conceded the birdie, so the pressure's on Park and Ryu to answer.]
[Update 67 (4:49 pm): Ryu answers with a delicate downhill 20 footer. Behind them, Yokomine makes a 90-foot chip for eagle on 12!
[Update 68 (4:51 pm): Then Sakura almost one-hands her finish and sticks it on 13! Holy cow!]
[Update 71 (4:54 pm): Inky responds by leaving it in tap-in range!]
[Update 74 (5:03 pm): Ryu has 4 birdies in her last 5 holes. Yokomine sinks her birdie putt on the right edge; good thing, b/c Inky really did have a tap-in. Good halves all around!]
[Update 79 (5:08 pm): Ryu just babies birdie try on 14. Higa has a 3-footer to extend the match--and makes it. Korea is dormie in the 1st match.]
[Update 82 (5:13 pm): Great approach by NYC on 14. 9 feet for birdie!!]
[Update 86 (5:18 pm): No F-in way!!!! Ai-sama holes out from bunker! All of a sudden NYC needs to make her birdie try to avoid going 3 down! And it just swerves right at the end.... Only 4 to play in this match.]
[Update 95 (5:39 pm): Park and Ryu beat the Okinawan giant-slayers 4&3. Just too much: -7 through 15 holes! Minutes later, Ai-sama has a putt from near the back fringe to win her match: it stops right on line 2 feet short of the cup.]
[Update 97 (5:42 pm): Whoa, maybe that's 3 feet. Looks longer after Sakura failed to make par. But she knocks it in and they're dormie.]
[Update 106 (6:03 pm): Sorry, had to take a minute to wash some rice for dinner. A lot easier for one cup than for three with The Full Metal Archivist, Onechan, and Imoto still in Japan for another month! Speaking of Japan, isn't it about time to see if they can close out their match?]
[Update 107 (6:06 pm): Right on cue, Golf Channel goes to the 16th green. And Yoko-meanie (sorry, Judy, 1st mispronounce of the day--then she goes to Yoko-mini!) just misses her birdie. Nice mention of the Okinawa-centric nature of Team Japan. Inky has a good birdie chance, about 12 feet, but it just veers off to the left in the last foot. Now it's up to NYC.]
[Update 109 (6:08 pm): NYC can't do it from the opposite side of the cup. So Japan wins Pool B with 8 points and Korea has to go to the playoff for the last spot on Sunday.]
USA vs. Thailand
It's pars all around on the 1st hole as Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr take on Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn.
No scores in yet for the Stacy Lewis-Paula Creamer vs. Pornanong Phatlum-Onnarin Sattayabanphot match.
[Update 4 (2:10 pm): Kerr birdied the par-4 2nd to bring her and Lexi 1-up, while Phatlum and Sattayabanphot both birdied the 1st to also go 1-up.]
[Update 8 (2:19 pm): It's birdies all around for Lewis, Creamer, Phatlum, and Sattayabanphot on 2 as they halve the hole. Note: Just found out from Golf Channel's early coverage that Sattayabanphot snaked in a long one and Lewis matched it.]
[Update 11 (2:50 pm): The Jutanugarns both bogey the par-5 4th to hand Kerr and Thompson a 2-up lead.]
[Update 13 (2:59 pm): Nice stroke by Lexi on her 10-foot birdie putt to match the Jutanugarns' birdie on the 5th!]
[Update 15 (3:09 pm): Wow, sweet chip in by Sattayabanphot when it looked like Team USA would have 2 birdie putts to win the hole!]
[Update 16 (3:13 pm): Stacy hit her 20-footer through the break and Paula just pulled her 7-footer enough for it to hit the corner of the cup and not fall. Sattayabanphot and Phatlum go 2-up.]
[Update 19 (3:19 pm): Lexi left a make-able downhill 10-footer a foot short in her bid to bring Team USA 4-up in their match.]
[Update 23 (3:28 pm): Nice lag from the back of the green on the par-3 6th by Lewis. Sattayabanphot has an uphill 8-footer and saves par.]
[Update 28 (3:36 pm): Cristie's putt broke the other way than Lexi's, so now Ariya has a 16-foot chance to win the hole. She blasted it by, so now the sisters will have to make some tough putts to halve the hole.]
[Update 29 (3:37 pm): Moriya hits it through the break and doesn't have an easy one for bogey.]
[Update 32 (3:41 pm): No worries, as Ariya and Cristie clean up their pars.]
[Update 36 (3:48 pm): Fantastic sand wedge from heavy rough by Lexi with the pressure on to about 16 feet by the pin. Ariya does the same from a bit better lie to about 18 feet.]
[Update 37 (3:50 pm): Stacy has a short downhiller for birdie to win the 7th and pull her and Paula within 1 hole of the Phatlum-Sattayabanphot team. And she makes it!]
[Update 38 (3:52 pm): With Moriya in for a bogey, Ariya tries to lag her putt but it rolls out 7 feet by the pin. Now it's Lexi's turn: and she hits the hole but the ball still rolls 6 feet by! Now Cristie is closest with 4 feet for par.]
[Update 39 (3:53 pm): Great putt by Ariya! Now it's Lexi's turn.]
[Update 40 (3:54 pm): Sweet follow-up by Lexi.]
[Update 46 (4:05 pm): Big birdie putt by Paula on 8. Phatlum hits it through the break and this match is now all-square!]
[Update 48 (4:10 pm): Long birdie try from the back collar of the 9th green by Ariya ends up 1 inch to the right of the cup. The hole is halved.]
[Update 55 (4:28 pm): A pair of good birdie tries for Team USA on 10 while everyone needs to make tough pars saves on 9. Cristie's 20-foot try on 10 was a roll short and left, while Lexi has a 10-foot downhill sweeper for birdie, but can't make it. Halved. Meanwhile, Phatlum saved par on 9 to keep their match at all-square.]
[Update 56 (4:30 pm): Cristie hit a hybrid to the left corner of the fairway on 11 while Lexi puts an iron in the middle of the fairway.]
[Update 57 (4:31 pm): Great explanation and visual of how Lexi went back to her old putting stance in 2013 and improved her putting as a result!]
[Update 60 (4:34 pm): Moriya sticks one on 11! Maybe she's coming alive today!]
[Update 62 (4:37 pm): Lexi answers it, about a foot closer to the pin! Ariya is about 2 feet outside Moriya. Cristie pulls her sand wedge about 12 feet left of the pin.]
[Update 64 (4:42 pm): Cristie thought she had it, but it slid by. Meanwhile, Phatlum sticks it inside other good shots on 10. Ariya made her birdie try to put pressure on Lexi, but she also showed her the line a bit. Looks like about 5 feet. Money! Another halve. Still 2-up with 7 to go.]
[Update 67 (4:45 pm): Paula uses the entire cup to force Phatlum to make her 3-footer. Money. Still all-square heading to the 11th tee.]
[Update 69 (4:52 pm): Ariya just misses 12 short on her 2nd shot from a fairway bunker. Judy Rankin points out it's almost exactly where Yokomine just was. Moriya puts her not far from where Ryu had put hers on the back fringe.]
[Update 70 (4:53 pm): Announcers joking about Lexi having a 6-iron in instead of yesterday's 7-iron. It tracks right by the hole and stops about 3 feet away!!!]
[Update 73 (4:58 pm): After Paula sticks it on 11 to 6 feet, Pornanong gets hers to about 9.]
[Update 75 (5:04 pm): Cristie and Moriya make good birdie putts. If Lexi can sink her eagle putt, Team USA goes 3-up.]
[Update 76 (5:04 pm): Bang! Lexi eagles 12 for the 2nd day in a row!]
[Update 77 (5:05 pm): Phatlum makes a great birdie, but Paula got the read from her and...misses her birdie putt right. Team Thailand is 1-up!!]
[Update 80 (5:09 pm): The backstop wasn't Cristie's friend on 13.]
[Update 81 (5:12 pm): It was for Lexi and the ball almost rolled back in the cup for a tap-in birdie. Ariya pushed her approach. Juli Inkster's now talking about being Moriya's LPGA mentor. Wonder if she ever gave her any advice relevant to this situation? "Mo" put it about 15 feet short right of the pin.]
[Update 83 (5:14 pm): Whoa, Phatlum birdied 11 as Golf Channel goes to commercials to bring her team 1-up!]
[Update 85 (5:17 pm): No birdie for Moriya. 4-down with 5 to play.]
[Update 87 (5:19 pm): Phatlum hits 12 in 2 but Lewis uses the undulations and gets her 2nd to about 7 feet away!]
[Update 88 (5:27 pm): Phatlum's putt looks like 40 feet or more.... Described as downhill and sliding right. Nice lag to 2 feet, right on line. Now Paula will try to make her 25-footer to get the birdie in and show Stacy the line. She burns the cup on the high side! Now it's up to Stacy to get this eagle! She's a very streaky hot putter, but she just hasn't locked in this week yet. Not anymore! Eagle to square the match!!]
[Update 89 (5:28 pm): Paula sticks her 7-iron on 13 6 feet left of the pin. Nice shot!]
[Update 92 (5:32 pm): Stacy goes about 12 feet past pin high. Pornanong, who beat Stacy in Dubai last December, hit it thin, right and long on the green. Sattayabanphot can't quite use the backstop to bring the ball as close as others have, but she has about 15 feet for birdie.]
[Update 93 (5:36 pm): Moriya snakes in a long one on 14 to pull her sister within 3 holes with 4 holes to play. Meanwhile, Phatlum's snakes by the cup just left with near-perfect speed.]
[Update 96 (5:41 pm): Stacy just can't get the speed down on her birdie try, hitting it through the break. Now it's up to Paula to make her maybe 7-footer to win the hole. And it tails off on the last roll....]
[Update 101 (5:48 pm): Lots of good approaches on 14 and 15. But Stacy dumps hers in the trap, reminiscent of her approach on 17 yesterday, as both Jerry Foltz and I thought at the same time. Phatlum hits it the closest on 14.]
[Update 102 (5:52 pm): Neither Ariya nor Moriya could make their putts, so it's looking like Cristie and Lexi will go dormie.]
[Update 103 (5:53 pm): Cristie Kerr is money! I wrote that even before she made her 5-footer to take her team 3-up with 3 to play.]
[Update 104 (5:55 pm): Paula's maybe got a 15-footer. Stops about 2 inches shy of the cup. Can Thailand go 1-up? It's up to Phatlum.]
[Update 105 (5:56 pm): Bang! Never a doubt from the opposite side as Paula! 1-up with 4 to go.]
[Update 110 (6:10 pm): So as the US-Thailand matches come down to the wire, Team USA would be in a playoff against Team ROK if the matches don't change!]
[Update 111 (6:12 pm): Phatlum sticks her approach on 15, just missing an eagle!!!! Great chance to go 2-up in that crucial match as Team USA has one chance to match it with about a 15-footer for birdie.]
[Update 112 (6:14 pm): Lewis can't make the birdie and Team Thailand is 2-up with 3 to play!]
[Update 113 (6:17 pm): Looks like Cristie and Lexi should close out Ariya and Moriya on 16. Moriya flops it from the rough over the par 5 and lets it trickle down for an uphill birdie attempt. Ariya's above the hole in 3 after a tough chip position from short of the green.]
[Update 114 (6:19 pm): Cristie just needs to lag her 25-footer and she did it to perfection. Team USA wins the key match to ensure they'll at least be in a playoff against Team ROK!]
[Update 115 (6:23 pm): Wow, first Onnarin and then Paula hit terrible approaches on 16 when going for the green in 2 from the fairway. Now it's up to Stacy Lewis. Lucky it stayed on the green after double crossing her approach to the lower left tier.]
[Update 116 (6:25 pm): Pornanong layed up and didn't hit a great approach.]
[Update 117 (6:31 pm): Paula chopped it out from a terrible lie in the right rough and got it to the back tier. Stacy leaves her--what, 80-footer?--about a foot short! Amazing eagle try!!]
[Update 118 (6:32 pm): Team ROK's been waiting for a while. Looks like Inbee and So Yeon will be carrying the flag in the playoff.]
[Update 119 (6:34 pm): Phatlum got her par. Sattayabanphot needs to make hers from the fringe (after an even better shot from the rough than Paula had). It seemed to go airborne as it left the fringe for a fraction of a second and stayed barely left of the cup all the way. Team USA 1 down with 1 to play.]
[Update 120 (6:37 pm): Big approach shots coming up on the par-3 17th! Here's how the overall points stand for those teams we know are in:
8 Japan
7 Sweden, Spain
If Phatlum and Sattayabanphot hold on, Thailand will end up with 7 points. And the USA and ROK would end pool play with 6. If they halve, it'll be Team USA with 7 and Thailand with 6. If Team USA can win the last 3 holes in a row, they'll tie Japan with 8 points!]
[Update 121 (6:41 pm): Paula loses hers a little right but it lands on the fringe and bounces a little forward for a nice birdie chance. Stacy hit her approach here yesterday in the water and ended up in about the same kind of position as Recari did a bit earlier today. If either Phatlum or Sattayabanphot can stick it, the pressure's really on Paula. But Phatlum puts it in the water short right! Now all the pressure's on Onnarin!!!! She's speaking Japanese with her caddy, by the way! OK, she put it in the back left corner, about 30 feet from the pin!]
[Update 122 (6:44 pm): Good break for Stacy that the wire or whatever was up against her ball, so she got to remove it and replace her ball without any penalty. She's only about 20 feet from the pin, chipping off stone. She's gotta pop it out and hope! But Sattayabanphot is away.]
[Update 123 (6:45 pm): No, wait, it's Stacy! Oh, man, it checked up on her. She's got about 15 feet for par. She kinda scraped it in instead of getting the ball clean.]
[Update 124 (6:47 pm): Good putt by Onnarin, about 18 inches or so past the cup on the high side. Paula needs to make it to win the hole!]
[Update 125 (6:49 pm): Man, Paula's putt dove at the end and she missed on the low side. Sattayabanphot cleans up to bring Team Thailand dormie.]
[Update 126 (6:51 pm): So Japan is guaranteed to be the top points-getter in pool play. Now let's see who's got to face Park and Ryu in the playoff.]
[Update 127 (6:53 pm): Nice drives by Paula and Stacy. Phatlum outdrives Stacy. Onnarin (who made the amazing putt to beat Ya Ni Yseng and Phoebe Yao team here yesterday) puts hers in the 1st left bunker.]
[Update 128 (7:00 pm): Wouldn't it be cool if Golf Channel had hired someone who speaks Korean (and others who speak other languages) to translate non-English conversations the mikes pick up? Never mind. What a great shot by Sattayabanphot to get hers to the front fringe! Stacy misses the backstop and is about 25 feet above the pin. Paula misses it by more and is about 10 feet further away than Stacy. Pornanong misses the green long and left, with what looks like a bad lie.]
[Update 129 (7:02 pm): Wow, after carrying her for a good part of the day, Pornanong is putting a heck of a lot of pressure on Onnarin in these last 2 holes! But she makes up for her bad approach with a great pitch! Maybe 3 feet for par?]
[Update 130 (7:09 pm): Paula makes a good effort but can't get it on the right line. Onnarin is going to let Pornanong make what now looks like a 2-footer for par and she does (although she made her team nervous). If Sattayabanphot can make her putt, this match is over. Wow, her approach got much further onto the green than I thought it had! She only has about 18 feet. Nope. Through the break. Now it's up to Stacy Lewis, the #1 player in the world to win the hole, halve the match, and force Thailand to face Korea in the playoff.]
[Update 131 (7:11 pm): OK, Thailand's in with 7 points. New post for playoff coming right up!]
[Update 132 (7:11 pm): Here's the link!]
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