USA best nation in women's golf

Is this just GolfPunk being rubbish or did no one else have a clue what the UL International Crown was? Well, listen up punkers: The IC, as it called by those in the know, started two years ago at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland as a biennial event to see who the best women's golfing nation is.

The UL bit stands for Underwriters Laboratories, an American 'safety organisation' (sounds like Tony Soprano's cover story – Ed) who are the 2016 and 2018 sponsors.

In 2018 the ULIC (lick your own! – Ed) is going to be in South Korea but this episode was played out in Chicago, at the Merit Club, Illinois. Anyway, England nearly won but then America did instead. Confirming their status as best golfing nation...

"USA! US... erm, how does it go again?"

“To be called the best golfing nation is pretty satisfying," said an ecstatic Stacy Lewis as the Americans celebrated. "Just to hear that being announced when we're getting those trophies. 

"That was so cool for me, because we're under constant scrutiny of, `Why aren't the Americans playing well? Why aren't they winning?’ I don't know how else to say it, other than it's just really satisfying.”

"That makes you the best caddie nation in the world now, too"

This looked like it might be a pretty ropey year for the United States in women’s golf, when June rolled around and Lexi Thompson was the only American winner of an LPGA event.

Then Brittany Lang won the US Women's Open two weeks ago and you don't have to be a genius to think the USA girls will be in the mix at next week's Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Olympics a couple weeks after that.

It was a case of what might have been fore the English girls. After Saturday's fourballs, Charley Hull, Melissa Reid, Holly Clyburn and Jodi Shadoff stood tall at the top of the standing ahead of South Korea, the USA, Chinese Taipei and Japan.

"Anyone fancy the Red Lobster? My treat..."

But, just as in the Solheim Cup in Germany last October, USA came out on top in the singles to win the second staging of the tournament, with Korea runners-up and England joint third with Taipei.

America's Cristie Kerr held on for a 3&2 victory over England's Melissa Reid in the match which proved decisive.

So Yeon Ryu of Korea lets rip

"The name's Thompson, Lexi Thompson..."

Related:

Lexi Thompson: GP Exclusive Photoshoot