GURNEE, Ill. — Melissa Reid and Jodi Ewart Shadoff have been close friends since they were 12. In pursuing professional golf, they accepted a career of competing against one another. But this week, for one of the few times in their careers, they’ll embrace each other as teammates.
“We have had so many experiences together over the last 15 years or so, it’s very easy to be a team,” Shadoff said.
“It’s good fun,” interjected Charley Hull, who joins Reid and Shadoff representing Team England this week. “Our mindset is pretty similar, so it’s easy to bond.”
The UL International Crown is a relatively new addition to the LPGA Tour schedule. Introduced in 2014, the biennial contest features 32 players across eight teams, competing in best ball and singles match play.
Spain topped Sweden in the finals last time, but because of the harsh qualifying system, both will be absent this time around. The contest this year features five teams from Asia (South Korea, Chinese Taipei, China, Japan and Thailand), England, Australia and the U.S.
Despite the tournament’s novelty, players talk of the event being a fun change of pace. For many in the field this week its a good opportunity to rekindle the fire that was stoked during last year’s Solheim Cup.
“We mesh well as a team,” U.S. team member Cristie Kerr says, “we’re going to ride that high from Solheim right on to this event.”
For others, like Su Oh of Australia, the chance to be on a team is a dream come true.
Oh will play alongside one of her idols, fellow Australian Karrie Webb. She was just 4 when Webb won the U.S. Women’s Open at the Merit Club, the host of this week’s event.
“I’ve always wanted to play in a team with Karrie,” Oh said. “She’s a really amazing role model. I think she’s amazing.”
Oh added that she’s eager to soak in whatever wisdom she can from Webb, though judging by the recent banter during their practice round together, Webb, 41, is skeptical of that claim.
“I don’t know if I’m sharing wisdom,” Webb said with a smile, “or if they’re giving me a hard time about being old.”
All part of being on a team.
