After hopping from Thailand to Singapore, the LPGA Tour makes one last leap to the People’s Republic of China where the best in the world will compete at the Blue Bay LPGA, the third and final stop of the spring swing through Asia. That’s where 108 players, the largest of the three-week stint in Asia, will square off over 72 holes for $2.5 million in the no-cut event. The Blue Bay LPGA was previously played during the Tour’s fall swing through Asia and was off the schedule between 2019 and 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a closer look at five things you need to know about this week’s Tour’s stop on Hainan Island.

The Field

Jeeno Thitikul headlines an impressive list of athletes that are poised to compete at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, site of the seventh edition of the Blue Bay LPGA. Thitikul has enjoyed an epic start to her season which started with a victory on the Ladies European Tour, a win that has served as a springboard to back-to-back top-three finishes in her first two starts of the season on the LPGA Tour. The Thai star is making her debut this week at the Blue Bay LPGA and will look to ride the momentum she has found in recent weeks alongside Ayaka Furue, who tied for second last week with Thitikul at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Furue was third last season at the Blue Bay LPGA, where she finished just behind 54-hole co-leader Sarah Schmelzel. The American came away with her best career finish on Hainan Island last season, which was one of four consecutive top 10s she strung together in the early part of 2024. Schmelzel will look to recapture that magic as she returns to the island in search of her first top-20 finish of the season. Major champions Ruoning Yin and Celine Boutier are also slated to compete at the Blue Bay LPGA, where Boutier was third in 2018.

Bailey Tardy Defends

In only her second season on the LPGA Tour, Bailey Tardy played her way into the winner’s circle for the first time at the Blue Bay LPGA in 2024. Tardy, who was making her first appearance on Hainan Island, was in the midst of a missed-cut streak when she earned her breakthrough victory. She held a share of the 54-hole lead with Sarah Schmelzel, who recorded three bogeys over her last six holes to give Tardy a four-stroke victory for her first career win on the LPGA Tour. This week, Tardy returns to the Blue Bay LPGA off a tie for 34th last week in Singapore and remains in search of her first top-20 finish of the 2025 LPGA Tour season.

You’re Invited

Five sponsor exemptions were extended for this week’s edition of the Blue Bay LPGA, with one of those going to LPGA Tour veteran Sandra Gal. After a limited return to competition last season, in which Gal made just 11 starts, she will begin her year at the Blue Bay LPGA for the second consecutive season. The veteran has battled a series of injuries and health concerns in recent years and limited her competition schedule over the past several seasons. Gal recorded a tie for 55th on Hainan Island in 2024.

Also in the field are 20 members of the Chinese Golf Association, including Muni He, Jin Yan and Epson Tour graduate Miranda Wang. He recorded a tie for 50th last week in Singapore at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, and Wang tied for 29th. Wang is one of 14 rookies in the field at the Blue Bay LPGA along with fellow first-year members Adela Cernousek and Ingrid Lindblad. They are each making their second start of the season, having both missed the cut in their first event at the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands. Yan will make her first start of the season in her native China.

Notable Past Champions

Whether the Blue Bay LPGA has been played in the fall or the spring, season after season, the tournament has produced an impressive list of past champions, including major winners Sei Young Kim (2015), Minjee Lee (2016) and Shanshan Feng (2017). Lee returns to the field again this year where, in addition to her victory in 2016, she also recorded a top-five finish in 2024. Lee will look to build on her recent momentum having finished tied for 11th last week in Singapore. Gaby Lopez, who won the Blue Bay LPGA in 2018 for her first career win on the LPGA Tour, is also in the field again this season. Lopez made history with her victory in China, becoming the first player from Mexico to win on the LPGA Tour since her idol Lorena Ochoa.

Upcoming Schedule

Following the conclusion of the Blue Bay LPGA, the LPGA Tour will take a two-week hiatus before returning to action. The Tour will return to the United States for the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass, which is scheduled to begin March 27, in Chandler, Ariz.

Nelly Korda won the inaugural edition last season and is expected to defend her title. The FIRHILLS SERI PAK Championship was previously scheduled to be held the week prior to the Ford Championship but was cancelled.

Five Things to Know About the 2025 Blue Bay LPGA

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