It’s been six years since the LPGA Tour made its last trip to the People’s Republic of China, but this week, the best in the women’s game are finally returning to the country for the Blue Bay LPGA. From 2014 to 2018, the Blue Bay LPGA was a fixture on the LPGA Tour’s schedule and celebrated big-name winners like major champions Sei Young Kim (2015), Minjee Lee (2016) and Shanshan Feng (2017). After the tournament was removed from the LPGA Tour’s schedule in 2019 and dealt with a series of cancellations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blue Bay LPGA is making its long-awaited return to the schedule at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course. Here are five things to know about the third and final stop of the spring swing through Asia.
In conjunction with the China Golf Association, the Blue Bay LPGA is offering playing opportunities to 25 of its members which include the likes of Muni He and Ruixin Liu. They’ll play alongside some of the biggest names in women’s golf with former Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Lydia Ko headlining the field. Following her season-opening victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a runner-up finish at the LPGA Drive On Championship, Ko arrives in China fresh off a tie for 34th at last week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship and is competing in the Blue Bay LPGA for the first time since 2015, when she finished tied for eighth. Also in the field is Celine Boutier, who picked up a season-best second-place finish last week in Singapore, and she will be looking to ride that momentum into the People’s Republic of China, where she finished third in 2018. Current Rolex Rankings No. 1 Lilia Vu will attempt to get back inside the ropes this week after withdrawing ahead of the final round in Singapore due to illness. The field will also see the return of past Blue Bay LPGA champions Sei Young Kim and Minjee Lee.
A lot has changed since the Blue Bay LPGA was last played on the LPGA Tour. In 2018, Jin Young Ko was a rookie, Shanshan Feng and Michelle Wie West were regularly competing and Ariya Jutanugarn was No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. The Blue Bay LPGA is also moving from its old slot as a fall event on the LPGA Tour schedule to its new spot in the spring. But unlike the Tour’s last two stops in Thailand and Singapore, the Blue Bay LPGA has a large field as 108 players are slated to compete, and a cut will be made after 36 holes to the top 65 players and ties. The Blue Bay LPGA is also the most lucrative of the three-week stint in Asia, with a total purse of $2.2 million.
A narrow one-stroke margin was all that separated Gaby Lopez and top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn after 72 holes at the 2018 Blue Bay LPGA. Lopez held off the then-ranked world No. 1 to make history as only the second player from Mexico to win on the LPGA Tour, following in the footsteps of her mentor and Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoa. Lopez’s victory in the People’s Republic China was the first of three career wins thus far for the rising star who will return to the Blue Bay LPGA as defending champion, six years removed from her maiden win. She arrives in China looking to build on the momentum she found at last week’s stop in Singapore, where she picked up her second top-25 result of the year.
Germany’s Sandra Gal will compete on the LPGA Tour this week for the first time since 2022. The two-time European Solheim Cup team member and LPGA Tour winner has been away from competition during the past two years on medical leave as she first dealt with Lyme disease and then underwent surgery to repair a hip injury. Gal received a sponsor invitation to compete at the Blue Bay LPGA, where she will tee it up for the first time on Tour since missing the cut at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei in April 2022. That was the only event the German played that season, following several years of limited competition, and she hasn’t played a full schedule on the LPGA Tour since 2019. Gal is not currently listed in the field at either of the next two stops on Tour.
Fans eager to tune in for the LPGA’s return to the People’s Republic of China can enjoy live coverage of the Blue Bay LPGA on Golf Channel and Peacock, March 6 to March 9, from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. EST.
