Lee-Anne Pace had to wait, but in the end, after four hours of heavy rain fall and delays, she carded a five-under 67 and cruised to a three-stroke victory at the inaugural Blue Bay LPGA tournament played at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course in Hainan Island China.
The 33-year-old from South Africa had a four-stroke lead Sunday when final-round play was suspended because of darkness. She still had five holes to play, but once she was able to get going on Monday, it was back to the solid play she displayed throughout the tournament, parring the holes 14 through 17 and then finishing up in style with a birdie.
Her final round card of 67 showed five birdies and no bogeys, for a final aggregate score of 16-under 200 (67-66-67) in the weather-shortened event. The tournament was cut to 54 holes due to numerous weather delays over the past few days.
For Pace, she earned $300,000 for the victory, her first LPGA Tour title and second victory in eight days after winning a playoff last Sunday in the Ladies European Tour's South African Women's Open. She became the second South African to win on the LPGA Tour, joining 15-time winner Sally Little on that short list.
Pace has won nine times on the Ladies European Tour and this was her third victory in China after winning the LET's Sanya Ladies Open in 2010 and 2013.
Germany’s Caroline Masson birdied the final three holes to wrap up a five-under 67. She ended in solo second place at 13-under 203.
Michelle Wie, in her second start since withdrawing from the Evian Championship in September after reinjuring her right hand, shot a two-under 70 and finished tied in third place at 11-under 205 with the first round leader, fellow American Jessica Korda, who also shot 70 on the final round.
American Danielle Kang (70) and South Korean Chella Choi (72) tied for fifth at 10-under. World’s No. 3 and 6, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (68) and China’s Shanshan Feng (72) were one stroke back sharing seventh place.
South Korean Jenny Shin (67) and American Brittany Lang (73) rounded up the Top 10 finishers in a tie for ninth place at eight-under 208.
The Blue Bay LPGA was the fourth stop on the six-event Asian Swing. The tour heads to Taiwan next week for the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, where Suzann Pettersen cruised to a 5-shot win last year. The Asian Swing will finish two weeks from now with the Mizuno Classic in Japan.