Charley Hull has faced her share of pressure moments, but playing alongside Lydia Ko has offered her comfort. One of Hull’s most memorable clutch performances came at the 2025 Kroger Queen City Championship. While facing the World No. 1, Jeeno Thitikul, Hull entered the final hole needing a birdie to have a shot at victory. Hull said she “had to back off it twice” under the mounting pressure and cited Tiger Woods as an example of thriving in high-stakes situations.

When discussing their game on the first day of the event, the media asked both Lydia and Charley what they had learned from each other. Charley Hull didn’t need a crash course on Lydia Ko’s game. She said she didn’t really learned anything new from Lydia Ko. But she did have something to say about Ko’s ability to play under pressure. “Lydia is so clutch under pressure, it was kind of like — like the last two holes it was just pure Lydia and I’m glad I wasn’t playing against her, I was playing with her,” the 3-time LPGA winner said. Echoing similar sentiments, Ko also said, “I’m glad Charley was my partner.”

Ko is someone who has consistently shown that she can perform well under pressure, especially proven by her victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She went into the final round just one shot off the lead and played steady golf through demanding conditions to clinch the gold medal. During the par-5 15th hole in Round 3 at the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, she hit a 200-yard shot to within one foot of the pin. It was one of the tournament’s standout clutch shots on a course that punished overly aggressive play.

Hull is a fan of Ko’s ability to perform under pressure. On the other hand, her teammate’s creativity while playing shots impresses the 23-time LPGA Tour winner. “Charley is so impressive. The strength she has, with the distance off the tee but also the creativity and the shots she can play is always something that I’ve been very impressed. I just love her creativity and versatility. On a golf course like this, I think it is obviously a little bit more one-dimensional. You’re not having to curve as many shots and all that,” Ko said.

The two are playing together on the World Team, alongside Brooke Henderson and Wei-Ling Hsu. It is the first time organizers have introduced the World Team. Unlike other teams, the members of the World Team are from different countries and continents. Lydia Ko believed that this caused a lack of chemistry within the team. However, everything looks good, as the veteran duo is enjoying playing together.

On the first day, the two were paired together to play against the rookies from Team Japan. Rookies Miyu Yamashita and Rio Takeda held their nerves well and played amazing golf. They managed to tie the round against Charley Hull and Lydia Ko. However, their teammates Wei-Ling Hsu and Brooke Henderson won against Ayaka Furue and Mao Saigo.

The International Crown features teams from countries around the world competing in a mix of singles and foursomes matches over four days.

Format of International Crown

Held at the Korea Country Club in Goyang, this year’s International Crown is the fifth edition of the event. 8 teams are playing in the event, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Sweden, World Team, and China. The current World No. 1, Jeeno Thitikul, is representing Thailand in the event. Former World No. 1, Nelly Korda, was also supposed to play. But she withdrew, citing injury as the reason.

Thursday through Saturday feature pool-play matches. Teams are divided into two groups of four based on seeding. Each team plays four-ball matches. Winning a match earns a team 2 points, while a tie earns each team 1 point. The top two teams from each pool advance to Sunday’s semifinals.

On Sunday morning, the two teams from Pool A face off against the two from Pool B in match play. Each semifinal consists of 2 singles matches and 1 foursomes match. The two winning teams from each semifinal match face off Sunday afternoon to determine the winner.

With elite LPGA pros, including Jeeno Thitikul, Jin Young Ko, Minjee Lee, Yin Ruoning, Hannah Green, Kim Hyo-joo, and Iyu Yamashita on the field, winning will be hard for Charley Hull, Lydia Ko, and the company.