“I think having grit throughout the week got us over the line.”

That was how Steph Kyriacou described Australia’s victory at the LPGA’s International Crown at New Korea Country Club. 

The fourth-seeded Aussies topped the United States after Minjee Lee’s and Hannah Green’s singles matches wins over Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh. 

Lee’s match against Yin went back and forth, but the three-time major champion clinched it with a par on the 17th hole, where Yin made bogey. Green then claimed the triumph with a 10-footer on No. 17 to close out her match. 

Therefore, that made Kyriacou’s and Grace Kim’s matches against Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin irrelevant. 

“I think you share the joy of winning, so I think it is really nice and special because we don’t have too many opportunities to play for our country and as a team,” said Lee, who went 4–0–1 and was named the event’s MVP. “I do think it’s much more special to be able to do it with a group of girls that I see on Tour pretty much week in, week out.”

Australia, however, had to rally in the semifinals. Kim, playing with Kyriacou, made a birdie on the 18th hole against Lydia Ko and Wei-Ling Hsu of the World Team and won it on the second sudden-death playoff hole. And Lee, who was once down by three, chipped in on No. 17 to force an 18th hole and eventually won the match, 1 up. 

That set up the Aussies’ title, two years after finishing runner-up to Thailand. 

“Obviously, we all played with a lot of grit and a lot of perseverance and resilience this week just to get into the final match,” Lee said. “I’m just really happy we're all sitting here in the champions’ press conference.”


This article was originally published on www.si.com as With a Late Comeback, Australia Shows ‘Grit’ in Winning LPGA International Crown.