After tournaments in Thailand and Singapore, the LPGA Tour’s final action in the Far East for the time being takes place in China with the Blue Bay LPGA at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Club.
This week’s tournament, which is returning to the schedule after a six-year absence, offers the highest prize purse of the year so far, and it will hold that status until the first Major of 2024, April’s Chevron Championship.
Competitors will be playing for an overall prize money payout of $2.2m, which is $400,000 more than last week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship. The tournament’s purse is also $100,000 more than last time it was played, in 2018, when Mexico’s Gaby Lopez claimed a first prize of $315,000.
This week’s winner will earn $15,000 more than that, while the runner-up is in line for a windfall of $207,516 as a record-breaking year for prize money on the LPGA Tour, which will see over $118m allocated overall, continues.
Below is the prize money payout for the Blue Bay LPGA.
Blue Bay LPGA Prize Money Payout
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $330,000 |
| 2nd | $207,516 |
| 3rd | $150,538 |
| 4th | $116,453 |
| 5th | $93,732 |
| 6th | $76,689 |
| 7th | $64,192 |
| 8th | $56,240 |
| 9th | $50,559 |
| 10th | $46,014 |
| 11th | $42,604 |
| 12th | $39,764 |
| 13th | $37,264 |
| 14th | $34,993 |
| 15th | $32,947 |
| 16th | $31,130 |
| 17th | $29,540 |
| 18th | $28,176 |
| 19th | $27,040 |
| 20th | $26,131 |
| 21st | $25,223 |
| 22nd | $24,313 |
| 23rd | $23,405 |
| 24th | $22,495 |
| 25th | $21,701 |
| 26th | $20,906 |
| 27th | $20,109 |
| 28th | $19,314 |
| 29th | $18,519 |
| 30th | $17,837 |
| 31st | $17,155 |
| 32nd | $16,474 |
| 33rd | $15,792 |
| 34th | $15,110 |
| 35th | $14,543 |
| 36th | $13,974 |
| 37th | $13,407 |
| 38th | $12,838 |
| 39th | $12,269 |
| 40th | $11,816 |
| 41st | $11,362 |
| 42nd | $10,908 |
| 43rd | $10,452 |
| 44th | $9,998 |
| 45th | $9,657 |
| 46th | $9,316 |
| 47th | $8,975 |
| 48th | $8,634 |
| 49th | $8,293 |
| 50th | $7,952 |
| 51st | $7,727 |
| 52nd | $7,498 |
| 53rd | $7,270 |
| 54th | $7,045 |
| 55th | $6,817 |
| 56th | $6,589 |
| 57th | $6,363 |
| 58th | $6,135 |
| 59th | $5,909 |
| 60th | $5,681 |
| 61st | $5,568 |
| 62nd | $5,453 |
| 63rd | $5,340 |
| 64th | $5,227 |
| 65th | $5,112 |
Who Are The Star Names In The Blue Bay LPGA?
Gaby Lopez is the defending champion
One of the biggest names in the field is former World No.1 Lydia Ko. She already has one victory to her name in 2024, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, and she was close to making up two at the LPGA Drive On Championship, but had to settle for runner-up behind Nelly Korda.
The New Zealander only needs one more victory to guarantee a place in the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. Will this be the week she gets over the line?
To do so, she will face some stiff competition, not least from 2023 Amundi Evian Championship winner Celine Boutier, who produced her best performance of the season at last week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship to finish second.
Former champions of the tournament Sei Young Kim and Minjee Lee also play, while Lilia Vu, who is currently top of the world rankings, returns to action after withdrawing from last week’s tournament after the third round due to illness.
Other big names in the field include World No.4 Ruoning Yin, three-time Major winner Anna Nordqvist and the winner of last week’s event, Sarah Schmelzel.
Gaby Lopez, who won the trophy the last time the tournament was held, in 2018, also plays.
Who Is Playing At The Blue Bay LPGA?
Some of the best players in the world are in the field including Lydia Ko, Celine Boutier and Ruoning Yin. The event will also include 25 players from the China Golf Association.
Where Is The Blue Bay LPGA?
The Blue Bay LPGA takes place at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Club in China. The course opened in 2012 and was the host venue for the event between 2014 to 2018. In 2024, the same venue hosts the tournament, which is being held for the first time in six years.
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