The LPGA continues their Asian Swing, with their fourth of six stops in the continent, for the inaugural edition of the Blue Bay LPGA to be played at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course in Hainan Island, China.
The tournament is co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and the CLPGA Tour. The field will consist of 81 players, including 15 from the China LPGA Tour and four Chinese players playing as sponsors’ invitee. It will be played through 72 holes on the 6,817 yards-long par-72 course.
There is no cut-line on this event, so all 81 players will be playing all weekend.
The top two players in the world Stacy Lewis and Inbee Park are not present this weekend, making World No. 3 Lydia Ko the top ranked player on the starter’s sheet. Other Top 10 players on the field are home country top superstar Shanshan Feng (No. 5) and Americans Michelle Wie (No. 6) and Lexi Thompson (No. 9).
Ko had a cyst on her left wrist drained on August 28 after returning to Florida from the Canadian Open where she finished T55. It has worked wonders as she finished T8 on both the Evian Championship and the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia since. This is another chance for her to gain on Lewis and Park on the world rankings.
All eyes will be on Feng, who will be looking forward to playing in front of her home country fans and give them another win at home. She earned her fourth LPGA Tour title two weeks ago at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and will be leading a very inspired Chinese contingent.
Wie is making her second start since withdrawing from the Evian Championship in September due to reinjuring a stress reaction in her right hand. She tied for fifth last week at the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship, giving the impression she is ready to make an impact in the final weeks of the season.
Thompson hasn’t been on top of her game lately and could use this one to get back on track. She comes from finishing T41 at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia two weeks ago and misses the cut at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic a month ago. Before that she finished T10 at the Evian, her only Top 10 in her last 10 tournaments.
Also on the field is Mo Martin, winner of Women's British Open, two-time winners this season Anna Nordqvist, Mirim Lee and Jessica Korda, as well as Austin Ernst, Mi Jung Hur and Lizette Salas who all three have won once this season.
South African Lee Anne Pace is present fresh off her win last weekend on the Ladies European Tour in her home country. Worth noting is the recently anointed Hall of Famer, Dame Laura Davies, who will make her first start since the announcement.
Other notables include Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Caroline Hedwall, Yani Tseng and the complete Spanish team that won the International Crown, Azahara Munoz, Beatriz Recari, Carlota Ciganda and Belen Mozo.
The LPGA Tour continues its Asian swing next week with the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, where Suzann Pettersen cruised to a five-stroke win last year. The Tour then will finish up the Asian swing in Japan the next week before moving to Mexico and wrapping up with the CME Group Tour Championship to be held in Florida, where the $1 million prize for the inaugural Race to the CME Globe will be awarded.
Venue: Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course in Hainan Island, China
Date: Oct 23-26, 2014
Course Stats: par 72, 6,817 yards
Purse: $2.0 Million, Winner’s Share: $300,000
Defending Champion: Inaugural Edition