Between 25,000-30,000 spectators are expected every round, with over 100,000 expected for the weekGETTY IMAGES
The third edition of the LPGA's UL Int'l Crown teed off today in South Korea and, barring weather issues, the tour "expects to smash attendance records for the event," according to Randall Mell of GOLFCHANNEL.com. The LPGA has already surpassed "corporate sales records" for the team-based tournament. LPGA VP/Events & Solheim Cup Exec Dir Dennis Baggett said that between 25,000-30,000 spectators are "expected every round" of the Int'l Crown, with "more than 100,000 expected for the week." That will "come close to Solheim Cup attendance records." A two-story corporate hospitality structure "towers along the right side of the 14th hole" at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, "featuring 30 corporate suites." There were "just six corporate suites built" at the last Int'l Crown in '16 outside Chicago. LPGA officials said that the corporate investment in the Int'l Crown in South Korea is "about five times what it was when the event was held in the Chicago area" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/3). GOLFWEEK's Beth Ann Nichols noted the total attendance numbers at the Int'l Crown for the week "could easily rival what the Presidents Cup drew" in South Korea in '15 if the weather holds up. The "vast majority of the crowd will be focused on the last two tee times, where South Korea takes on Chinese Taipei" (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/3).
FORGING AN IDENTITY: GOLF DIGEST's Keely Levins wrote the potential for the Int'l Crown this year to "develop an identity of its own appears high." LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said, "We built this event with one goal, let's build something that's never been done before. We knew when we launched it there'd be some critics along the way, but it's proven it's different and fun." The Ryder Cup started in '27, the Solheim Cup in '90 and the Presidents Cup in '94, and Levins wrote it "took time for each of these to find its way." The Int'l Crown also "presents the added hurdle of an unfamiliar format compared to one-on-one team matches." This week "could be the one in which the nascent event makes a true global connection" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 10/3).
