LOS ANGELES – Team England was beaten by Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown even before a single shot was fired.
Georgia Hall and Charley Hull both withdrawn from the tournament on Saturday, forcing officials to scramble for replacements. Alice Hewson, Liz Young and other Ladies European Tour players were on their way from England to complete the four-player team.
Hall, currently ranked No. Hull is not far behind Hall, who is ranked No. Hull and Hall both competed at this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship. Hull took a T-17 share, while Hall finished T-44.
Former Solheim Cup players Jodi Ewart Shadoff, No. The rest of the team is made up by Bronte Law (103), and 45.
The event will take place May 4-7, 2019 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The Crown is being held for the first time since South Korea’s victory on its home turf in 2018.
Hall, who is a member of Golfweek, revealed that she has been having trouble with her left leg for the past few weeks. She says she injured it after running on concrete too much without warming up.
Hall said, “I see a private physiotherapist every day.” Hall said, “I have been seeing a private physiotherapist every day. He told me to rest the area before it becomes worse.”
Hall plans to compete at the Cognizant Founders Cup, in New Jersey, the week following the Crown.
Georgia Hall and Charley Hull attend the 2018 UL International Crown at Incheon in South Korea. (Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Hull was in a rush to catch a plane after her round. She said that she had been feeling unwell for several weeks, and wanted to return home to visit a doctor. She will return to the tour within three to four months.
Hull, a former England representative at Crown, said, “I wish everyone good luck and I’m sorry I can’t be there.” Mel Reid played a round alone in 2016 after Hull was forced to pull out due to illness.
Hewson, a substitute for Young, is ranked 172nd. Hewson is ranked in the top 20 of the LET this season, with five top-20 finishes. She also finished second at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open. Young won her first LET championship in her 14th year on the tour last year, a month before she turned 40.
This year’s crown includes eight teams: the United States, South Korea (Japan), England, Thailand, Australia, and China.
