With the first International Crown tournament two months away, here’s a look at the eighth-seeded Australian team:

The Australians have the most experienced team, with three players over age 30 (Karrie Webb, Lindsey Wright and Katherine Kirk), the only squad with more than one player age 30-plus.
Karrie Webb is the oldest player in the competition (39), has the most wins (41) and is the only World Golf Hall of Fame member competing. Even though Webb hasn’t been eligible for this type of team competition before, she did carry the Olympic torch prior to Australia hosting the 2000 Olympic Games.
The Aussies have the most combined LPGA wins (43) of any participating country – Webb with 41 and Kirk with two. The top-seeded United States, which faces Australia in the first match on July 24, is second with 39 career wins among its four players.
The only amateur in the field, Minjee Lee, plays for the Australians. Lee, who turned 18 on Tuesday, is also the youngest player competing. She is the world’s top-ranked amateur and won the Victorian Open professional tournament in Australia in February. She also captured the 2012 U.S. Girls Junior at Lake Merced (San Francisco), beating Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn in the semifinals. Lydia Ko lost in the other semifinal.
Lee has a close relationship with Webb. She was one of two recipients of the Webb scholarship in 2013, which provided funding for international travel, an exemption into the Australian Women’s Open and mentoring from Webb.
Kirk and Wright were All-American teammates at Pepperdine University (Malibu, Calif.) in 2003 when the Waves finished a program-best second in the NCAA Tournament. Kirk, 32, was the 2003 NCAA Player of the Year.
Despite not winning a LPGA tournament, Wright, 34, has 19 career top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the 2009 McDonald’s LPGA Championship and a fourth at the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship, both majors.
The team has a combined 245 career top-10 LPGA finishes, led by Webb’s 197. Additionally, Lee has finished T11 in the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open (her LPGA debut) and T24 in the Kraft Nabisco Championship (low amateur) this year. She was tied for the lead entering the final round in Australia.

By the Numbers: International Crown Australia

Related Articles