Tag: Blue Bay LPGA

2024 Blue Bay LPGA prize money payouts for each LPGA player

Check out how much money each player earned in China.

There were many nights when Bailey Tardy wondered if it might be time get a new job. She’d missed more cuts than she’d made at the start of her rookie season last year. And it had already taken a long time to even get to the LPGA.

“It’s expensive being out here,” said Tardy. “I wasn’t making any money. I’m 27, so it’s kind of like either you make it or you go get a job.”

A $482,136 paycheck for a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble, however, provided much-needed breathing room. Now, after securing her first victory in China at the Blue Bay LPGA, that bank account looks especially strong after a $330,000 payday.

Tardy has now amassed $911,491 in official career earnings on the LPGA.

This marked the first event on the Asian swing this season to feature a cut. A total of 66 players earned a paycheck on Hainan Island.

Here’s how much money each player earned at the 2024 Blue Bay LPGA.

Prize money payouts

Position Player Score Earnings
1  Bailey Tardy -19 $330,000
2  Sarah Schmelzel -15 $208,128
3  Ayaka Furue -14 $150,982
T4  Savannah Katarina Grewal -13 $95,907
T4  Minjee Lee -13 $95,907
T4  Lydia Ko -13 $95,907
7  Ruixin Liu -12 $64,381
8  Stephanie Meadow -11 $56,405
9  Hye-Jin Choi -10 $50,708
T10  Xiyu Lin -9 $44,440
T10  Lucy Li -9 $44,440
T12  Celine Boutier -8 $37,450
T12  Gaby Lopez -8 $37,450
T12  Mao Saigo -8 $37,450
T15  Yunxuan Zhang -7 $29,247
T15  Yan Liu -7 $29,247
T15  Anna Nordqvist -7 $29,247
T15  Albane Valenzuela -7 $29,247
T15  Gabriela Ruffels -7 $29,247
T15  Sei Young Kim -7 $29,247
T21  Yuna Nishimura -6 $22,660
T21  Frida Kinhult -6 $22,660
T21  Moriya Jutanugarn -6 $22,660
T21  Lauren Coughlin -6 $22,660
T21  Mi Hyang Lee -6 $22,660
T21  Yu Jin Sung -6 $22,660
T21  Olivia Cowan -6 $22,660
T28  Emily Kristine Pedersen -5 $18,972
T28  Narin An -5 $18,972
30  Esther Henseleit -4 $17,890
T31  Hee Young Park -3 $15,554
T31  Kristen Gillman -3 $15,554
T31  Jennifer Song -3 $15,554
T31  Weiwei Zhang -3 $15,554
T31  Yu Liu -3 $15,554
T31  Caroline Inglis -3 $15,554
T37  Xiaowen Yin -2 $12,620
T37  Auston Kim -2 $12,620
T37  Muni He -2 $12,620
T37  Chanettee Wannasaen -2 $12,620
T41  Danlin Cai -1 $10,939
T41  Pavarisa Yoktuan -1 $10,939
T41  Mary Liu -1 $10,939
T44  Roberta Liti E $9,515
T44  Daniela Darquea E $9,515
T44  Yuai Ji E $9,515
T44  Miranda Wang E $9,515
T48  Yijia Ren (a) 1 —
T48  Paula Reto 1 $8,318
T48  Wichanee Meechai 1 $8,318
T48  Celine Borge 1 $8,318
T52  Azahara Munoz 2 $7,521
T52  Peiyun Chien 2 $7,521
T52  Liqi Zeng 2 $7,521
T55  Sandra Gal 3 $6,837
T55  Agathe Laisne 3 $6,837
T55  Zixuan Wang (a) 3 —
T55  Wei-Ling Hsu 3 $6,837
59  Ruoning Yin 5 $6,382
60  Linnea Strom 6 $6,153
T61  Iris Wang 7 $5,812
T61  Lauren Hartlage 7 $5,812
T63  Xinyu Cao 8 $5,527
T63  Yanhong Pan 8 $5,527
65  Yuli Shi 11 $5,356
66  Matilda Castren 16 $5,242

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A win away from the Hall of Fame, Lydia Ko tied for lead at Blue Bay LPGA

Sunday could be historic.

Sunday could be historic on the LPGA.

Needing one win to secure the final point to earn Hall of Fame status, Lydia Ko is tied for the lead at the Blue Bay LPGA at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course in China. Ko shot 6-under 66 on Saturday to move into a tie with Bailey Tardy (66) and Sarah Schmelzel (69) with 18 holes to go.

Ko, a 20-time winner on the LPGA, is one point away from meeting the minimum threshold to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. The 26-year-old could earn her 21st win on Sunday, making herself the youngest player to ever be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

“Still a lot of golf to be played, and it seems like someone shoots a really low score at least one of the rounds,” Ko said. “We all know the pin positions dictate the scores, so I just got to stay patient and keep giving myself good looks and see where that puts me.”

Ko’s round featured five birdies, an eagle and a lone bogey. For Tardy, who played alongside Ko in the third round, she had a clean scorecard with four birdies and an eagle.

Meanwhile, after a player tied the course record in each of the first two rounds, Canadian Savannah Grewal set a new one on Saturday, shooting 8-under 64.

“Feels kind of surreal. Still soaking it all in,” she said. “Just wanted to come out and play my best. I was joking with my brother yesterday that I shot 2 over that today is moving day. I got it.”

However, the focus on Sunday will be Ko, who nearly earned that last point earlier this season. After winning the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions to open the year, she lost in a playoff against Nelly Korda at the LPGA Drive On Championship the next week.

Come Sunday in China, Ko can make LPGA history.

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Narin An ties 18-hole scoring record, tied for lead at Blue Bay LPGA in China

Record scores galore in China.

It was a record-setting day for Narin An in China.

The 28-year-old from South Korea tied the 18-hole scoring record Friday at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Club during the second round of the 2024 Blue Bay LPGA, shooting 7-under 65 with a stretch that included five straight birdies. An is tied for the lead with Sarah Schmelzel at 9 under heading to the weekend.

“Especially shot and putt was really good today, so I had a lot of birdies on the course,” An said after the round.

An followed up Minjee Lee’s opening-round 65 with one of her own. Lee, however, shot even-par 72 on Friday and is T-4 heading to the weekend.

Schmelzel’s round featured four birdies, including three straight on Nos. 12-14, and one bogey, but she’ll be in the final pairing on Saturday.

“Yeah, we played together a couple times,” Schmelzel said of An. “She’s really sweet, really nice, works really hard. It’s cool to see her up at the top the leaderboard. Like I said, she works hard at her game. I’m excited to play with her tomorrow it looks like and see what’s in store.”

Hye-Jin Choi is solo third at 7 under. Lydia Ko, a point away from earning Hall of Fame status, sits three shots back and T-6.

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New Callaway staffer Minjee Lee off to record start at Blue Bay LPGA

Lee got off to a strong start at the Blue Bay LPGA event in China after posting a course record-tying 7-under 65.

Past champion Minjee Lee got off to a strong start at the Blue Bay LPGA event in China after posting a smooth 7-under 65, which ties the course record. The Aussie holds a one-stroke advantage over American Sarah Schmelzel and Chinese players Miranda Wang and Ruixin Liu. This marks the first edition of the Blue Bay event since 2018.

“I just took advantage of the really calm conditions this morning,” said Lee, “and I think with the a little bit the rain it actually stopped it even more, the wind.”

While Lee won twice in 2023, this marks the first time she has led or co-led after the first round since the 2022 Chevron Championship. Earlier this season, it was announced that Lee had joined her brother Min Woo on the Callaway staff. Previously a Srixon player, one of the best ball-strikers on the LPGA had some work to do to get things in order. This is her second start this season. She opened with a T-29 last week in Singapore.

“I actually touched on everything this offseason,” said Lee, “especially changing my equipment to Callaway. Everything has been a little bit of a process getting used to, but I think it’s going to take me a couple events just to knock the rust off and break those clubs in.”

Lee also holds the 36-hole and 72-hole scoring records at Blue Bay.

Schmelzel led after the first round of last week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship and ultimately tied for eighth.

Lydia Ko of New Zealand plays her shot on the 9th hole during the first round of the Blue Bay LPGA at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on March 07, 2024 in Hainan Island, Hainan. (Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)

Lydia Ko, who needs one more point to enter the LPGA Hall of Fame and a win would get her there, opened with a 68 at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course.

“There are some greens with some pin positions that like is actually really hard to stay on the same tier,” said Ko. “I think how the rules officials are going to set up the golf course and where they put the pins are going to dictate the scores a lot.”

World No. 1 Lilia Vu withdrew from the final round in Singapore on Sunday with an illness. She rested on Monday and shot 72 in the opening round.

“I feel like there was a big crowd out here,” said Vu. “I was playing with Ruoning (Yin), so obviously it’s her crowd. There was a lot of little kids out there following her, so it was really cool to see the turnout here.”

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Sandra Gal returns to LPGA after lengthy break at Blue Bay LPGA

Gal’s lone victory on the LPGA came at the 2011 Kia Classic.

Sandra Gal returns to the LPGA for the first time since 2022 at the Blue Bay LPGA event in China. The 38-year-old German has teed it up in only 11 LPGA events since the 2020 season.

Gal, who is playing on a sponsor exemption this week on Hainan Island, first took a medical leave from the tour in August of 2019 while dealing with the effects of Lyme disease. Most recently, she’s been healing from hip surgery.

Gal’s lone victory on the LPGA came at the 2011 Kia Classic. The two-time Solheim Cup player, Olympian, artist and philanthropist, first earned full LPGA status for the 2008 season.

Gal’s most recent start on the LPGA was the 2022 Lotte Championship, where she missed the cut. It was her only start in 2022.

“I am not set on my schedule, as I will have to track my progress as I compete and adjust accordingly,” Gal posted on her website. “It will be a combination of LPGA and LET tournaments.”

Blue Bay LPGA returns for the first time in six years, and Ruoning Yin can’t wait

The inaugural Blue Bay event on Hainan Island was held in the fall of 2014.

The Blue Bay LPGA returns this week for the first time since 2018, and much has changed. World No. 1 Lilia Vu, for example, was still in college.

Shanshan Feng, China’s trailblazing LPGA player and 2017 Blue Bay champion, has since retired from golf. Ruoning Yin, the fresh-faced major champion poised to challenge Feng’s records, was years away from even turning professional.

Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, the defending champion, has won twice since 2018 and recently married her longtime sweetheart, Santiago Carranza.

“I’ve always wanted to play in front of a home crowd,” said Yin, a two-time winner on tour and short-term No. 1. “Last week in Singapore, after the last hole, I heard people in the crowd cheering for me in Chinese. It was heart-warming to see.”

Gaby Lopez of Mexico celebrates after winning the Blue Bay LPGA on November 10, 2018, in Hainan Island, China. (Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images)

The inaugural Blue Bay event on Hainan Island was held in the fall of 2014. It was halted after five stagings due, in part, to the global pandemic. Three past champions are in the field this week, including Minjee Lee, Sei Young Kim and Lopez.

“I think that every single time you’re in a place where you’ve played good and you have performed well,” said Lopez, “there is this kind of sort of calmness that comes with good memories.”

Lydia Ko is the only 2024 winner in the field. The Kiwi, of course, needs only one more point to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. A victory on Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course would put her there.

There are 25 China Golf Association members in the field of 108. Unlike the previous two Asian events, this one features a 36-hole cut to top 65 and ties and a purse of $2.2 million.

Vu, who withdrew during Sunday’s final round in Singapore with an illness, sounds like she’s on the mend, though she didn’t offer many details during a pre-tournament press conference.

“Last week my body wasn’t feeling great overall physically,” said Vu, “and it was just Sunday that I couldn’t handle. So I took the whole day off yesterday, and hopefully I can regroup and have a good week this week.”

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Blue Bay LPGA event in China canceled due to ongoing pandemic matters

The most recent Blue Bay LPGA event was last held in the fall of 2018.

The Blue Bay LPGA event in China has been canceled once again. The LPGA released a statement on Tuesday evening, noting that the event, scheduled for March 9-12 on Hainan Island, had been canceled due to “ongoing COVID-19 related matters.”

The tournament, which featured a $2.1 million purse, was slated to be the final leg of a three-tournament Asian swing following events in Thailand and Singapore. The LPGA hasn’t hosted a tournament in China since October 2019. The most recent Blue Bay LPGA event was last held in the fall of 2018.

Last November, the LPGA announced a 2023 schedule that included a total prize fund of $101.4 million and 33 official events, including two in China. The second event, the Buick LPGA Shanghai, is scheduled for Oct. 13-15.

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Ayean Cho holds one-shot lead at ISPS Handa Vic Open

Ayean Cho holds a one-shot lead over Madelene Sagstrom at the ISPS Handa Vic Open.

Madelene Sagstrom slipped Saturday at the ISPS Handa Vic Open and lost her lead to Ayean Cho heading into the final round at 13th Beach Golf Links in Victoria, Australia.

Sagstrom, who shot rounds of 65-67 leading into the weekend, struggled on the Beach Course’s front nine, finishing the round 2-over 74. The 27-year-old Swede opened with a bogey, but appeared to rally with an eagle on No. 2 and a birdie on No. 3. She stumbled again on Nos. 7 and 8, carding a double bogey and bogey respectively. She shot even par on the back nine.

Sagstrom’s third-round stumble left room for Cho to take the lead at 12 under, one shot ahead of Sagstrom. Cho shot a 70 after rounds of 69-66.

Alana Sharp is in solo third at 10 under and Hee Young Park sits in fourth at 9 under. Tied for fifth are So Yeon Ryu and Pei-Ying Tsai at 8 under.

Rookie Haley Moore, who impressed with a first-round 66, missed the cut for the event’s final round after a third-round 79. Although Moore, who opened with rounds of 66-71, started and ended the day with birdies, she missed Saturday’s cut because of nine bogeys — including five consecutive to finish the back nine — and a double bogey on No. 10. Moore finished her first LPGA event in 41st at 1 under.

Cho and Sagstrom tee off their final rounds alongside Sharp from the Beach Course’s first tee Sunday at 12:30 p.m. local time, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

In the men’s event, Min Woo Lee eagled the 18th to take a three-shot lead over Marcus Fraser and Travis Smyth.

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LPGA cancels March event in China due to coronavirus outbreak

The upcoming Blue Bay LPGA, held on China’s Hainan Island, has been canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

The LPGA’s spring Asia swing will be one tournament short in 2020. The upcoming Blue Bay LPGA, held on China’s Hainan Island, has been canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation, who spoke to Golfweek on the condition of anonymity because it hasn’t been officially announced.

The event was scheduled to take place March 5-8, immediately following the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore. The tournament was not held in 2019 due to the transition of moving it on the calendar from the fall to the spring. The event had a $2.1 million purse. Gaby Lopez won the title in 2018.

The death toll in China has surpassed 130 people, according to reports, and more than 6,000 people have fallen ill. There is no vaccine for the virus.

After an off week, the LPGA heads to Australia for two events before traveling to Thailand.

The LPGA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.