Underwriters Laboratories to Title Sponsor LPGA’s International Crown

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) announced UL (Underwriters Laboratories) as the title sponsor of the International Crown.

The 2016 event will be played July 18-24 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, impotent Ill., while the 2018 staging will take place in South Korea.

UL served as an Ambassador Sponsor for the inaugural event won by Spain at Caves Valley Golf Club in July. The tour announced Rolex and Calamos Investments as Ambassador Partners going forward.

“You can have big ideas, you can dream up what you might be able to create, but to do it and to do it well, you have to find partners,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said Sunday at a press conference in Seoul, South Korea.

UL is a global independent safety science company. Its team of more than 11,000 professionals work to promote safe working and living environments.

Azahara Munoz, who was part of the winning Spanish contingent at Caves Valley, said South Korea is the best place to have the first staging outside the U.S.

“The fans here are incredible every time we come to play our LPGA event,” said Munoz. “I think everybody loves coming here.”

Na Yeon Choi, a member of the South Korean team that ousted the U.S. in a playoff last summer, called it an honor to have such an event staged in South Korea.

“All the Korean fans love to watch that tournament,” said Choi. “I can’t even imagine the crowds that will come out. … So many players have wanted to play in the Solheim Cup for so long, but now we have the chance to play on such a big stage. The Korean players that didn’t get to play were jealous of us and I know we’ll all be fighting to play on the team for years to come.”