2015 Blue Bay LPGA
Sanya, Hainan Island, China
Final-Round Notes
November 1, 2015
South Korea’s Sei Young Kim sank a seven-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the Blue Bay LPGA at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on Hainan Island, China. The 22-year old rookie shot a final-round 2-under 70 to finish one shot clear of Stacy Lewis, Candie Kung and Kim Kaufman at 2-under par 286. It marks her third LPGA Tour victory, all in 2015. She won her first two titles in playoffs and sank a clutch putt to win this week.
“Yeah, I was really nervous,” said Kim. “I just focus, and when I hit the putt, I couldn’t believe it.”
Kim started the day tied for the lead with Kung and was even par for the day through 13 holes. Kung and Lewis both got off to a quick starts, each picking up two birdies in their first three holes. Lewis pulled even at 1-under par when she birdied the par 5 8th hole and took the outright lead for the first time when Kung bogeyed No. 10.
It looked like Lewis would take command on the back nine when she extended the lead to two shots with a birdie on the 11th hole but a two shot swing came on No. 13 when Lewis bogeyed and Kim birdied to get to 1-under par.
Kim took the outright lead for the first time all day with a birdie on the 14th hole. A poor tee shot on the par 3 17th by Kim set up great scoring opportunities for both Lewis and Kung but failed to convert their birdie putts that were both inside four feet. Kim missed her 20-foot par putt to drop into a four-way tie at 1-under par and with Kim Kaufman in the clubhouse.
“On the 17th hole, I try to cut a shot because the pin, there’s no room behind, and I made a mistake,” said Kim. “I was very upset after that hole. My caddie told me, calm down. After two players miss that putt, I got a new opportunity come to me. So yeah, then, yeah, just keep going.”
Kim, Kung and Lewis were all in the final group and all had wedges in on the par 5 18th hole; Lewis leaving hers 20 feet short, Kung nine feet to the right of the hole and Kim seven feet right. Lewis and Kung both missed their birdie opportunities and Kim put hers in the middle of the cup to seal her third win of the year.
“I was like really nervous on the last putt. I can hear my heart pound,” said Kim. “I was just sitting down, yeah. When I hit the ball, I draw in my mind, nothing, nothing, I just focus what I do. That what’s my key.”
She trails only Lydia Ko (5) and Inbee Park (4) in victories this season on Tour.
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Lydia Ko shot 2-under par on Sunday and moved from T20 to T8.
FINAL LEADERBOARD
| Pos. | Player | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sei Young Kim | 70-72-74-70 (-2) |
| T2 | Candie Kung | 71-72-73-71 (-1) |
| T2 | Stacy Lewis | 71-73-73-70 (-1) |
| T2 | Kim Kaufman | 72-72-74-69 (-1) |
| T5 | Sandra Gal | 73-73-74-71 (+3) |
| T5 | Alena Sharp | 74-70-74-73 (+3) |
| T5 | Xi Yu Lin | 67-77-75-72 (+3) |
KIM TAKES COMMAND OF ROOKIE RACE
Sei Young Kim earned 150 points toward the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year and extended her lead over fellow countrywoman Hyo Joo Kim to 247 points. She currently has 1,422 points.
“This year my target was just three wins, but I reach the win, so I feel very fulfilled,” said Kim. “I also come through Rookie of the Year, so I would be very honored to win that. When I played in the KLPGA, I wanted to be Rookie of the Year but I couldn’t make that, but maybe LPGA I can make it.”
The last South Korean to win the award was So Yeon Ryu in 2012.
| Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 Sei Young Kim | 1,422 |
| 2 Hyo Joo Kim | 1,175 |
| 3 Minjee Lee | 1,058 |
| 4 Ha Na Jang | 766 |
| 5 Alison Lee | 743 |
RACE TO CME GLOBE HEATS UP
Two players made moves in the top-9 in the Race to the CME Globe this week at the Blue Bay LPGA. Kim passed Lexi Thompson to move from 5th to 4th with her victory and Amy Yang passed So Yeon Ryu from 7th to 6th with her T38 finish.
Kim said now that she earned her third win, she wants to concentrate on getting into the top-3 and finish strong at the CME Group Tour Championship for a chance at the $1 million bonus check. She is set to play in one more event, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, before the points are reset for the season finale.
“Yeah, now my new goal, CME,” said Kim. “I made the new goal. I have one more tournament, Mexico, and then CME. I make Mexico and then a new challenge at the CME.”
RACE TO CME GLOBE - CURRENT STANDINGS (as of November 1, 2015)
| Rank | Player | Points Thru Blue Bay | Final Position | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lydia Ko | 4913 | T56 |
- |
| 2 | Inbee Park | 3,944 | WD |
- |
| 3 | Stacy Lewis | 3,410 | T2 | - |
| 4 | Sei Young Kim | 3167 | Win | +1 |
| 5 | Lexi Thompson | 2,727 | N/A | -1 |
| 6 | Amy Yang | 2,335 | T38 | +1 |
| 7 | So Yeon Ryu | 2,306 | N/A | -1 |
| 8 | Anna Nordqvist | 2,073 | N/A | - |
| 9 | Shanshan Feng | 1,937 | T16 | 9 |
Show me the eagles
Five total eagles were made on the weekend at the Blue Bay LPGA and players raised $5,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project as part of the season-long Wounded Warrior Project® Weekends.
In all there have been 242 eagles recorded in 2015, raising $242,000.
Wounded Warrior Project® Weekends is a season-long charity program that will be tied into the Race to the CME Globe. Each Saturday and Sunday at LPGA tournaments, CME Group will donate $1,000 to Wounded Warrior Project® for each eagle that is recorded. This amount will increase to $5,000 for each eagle during the weekend of the CME Group Tour Championship and a formal check will be presented to the Wounded Warrior Project® during the trophy ceremony at the CME Group Tour Championship. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
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