Shanshan Feng won her second LPGA Tour event of the year last week at the Toto Japan Classic, holding off Ai Suzuki by two strokes. Feng leads the LPGA Tour into her home country of China for the Blue Bay LPGA, which was first played in 2014. This is the final event of the season before the finale, the CME Group Tour Championship.
Event: Blue Bay LPGA
Category: LPGA
Date: November 8th – 11th
Location: Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, Hainan Island, China
Minjee Lee is the defending champion at this event as she edged Jessica Korda by a stroke to win last year, while Ariya Jutanugarn was two strokes behind. Caroline Masson and Pornanong Phatlum both finished seven shots back of Lee, who won for the second time in 2016.
Past Five Winners
2016: Minjee Lee -13
2015: Sei-Young Kim -2
2014: Lee-Anne Pace -16
The Field
There’s a new No. 1 in the field this week, which is significant news. Sung Hyun Park has claimed the throne and will headline the field this week. Although she’s a rookie, she’s finally passed So Yeon Ryu as the No. 1 golfer on the women’s side of things. Ryu had held the No. 1 spot since June.
This will be Park’s first action at Blue Bay but she’ll be looking for her first win of the season. The No. 3 golfer in the world, Shanshan Feng, will be in the field. She’ll have the crowd behind her as this event is in her home country (China). Feng is coming off a win, claiming the TOTO Japan Classic last week.
Anna Nordqvist will also be among the favorites this week. She’s the world’s No. 5 player and will be eyeing her third win of the year. We’ll see a couple of other players from the Top 10 as No. 7 In-Kyung Kim is in action. Her three wins on the year are the most of anyone in the field this week. As is No. 9 Ariya Jutanugarn. In total, seven of the 2017 LPGA season’s winners are in the field this week.
What To Know About The Course
Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course opened in 2012 and has been the host of this event since its inception. It is a par-72 course that is 6,675 yards, and the hook here, as with any good golf course, is the closing stretch. It starts here at #14 with a par-5, then a par-4 where players can drive the green if they hit a good shot. Then there is a par-4 that is definitely two shots, and they have to be well-placed shots to go for a birdie. Finally, there is a par-3 at #17 with a huge green to hit, and then the par-5 finishing hole in which players might be tempted to go for it if they’re chasing a lead. This is a very challenging golf course, and at this point in the season, players might be willing to risk it all.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Shanshan Feng over Sung Hyun Park
Feng had been trending upward in previous weeks before winning at the Toto Japan Classic, and she now has top-three finishes in each of her last three starts. Park didn’t play in Japan, but she has three top-five finishes in her last five starts. However, she has a T-26 and a T-42 in there as well, and Park looks like she is losing a little consistency at the wrong time of the year. Feng is far too hot right now to not take her in this matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Moriya Jutanugarn
Jutanugarn finished T-5 in Japan last week and it was her third top-five in five starts, which also includes a solid 10th finish. She finished T-29th here last year, but she might be able to get some tips from her younger sister, Ariya, who finished solo third here last year. You might be tempted to pick Ariya, but she hasn’t finished higher than T-22 in her last 12 starts, missing the cut in five events. Moriya is the pick here among the sisters, and she should be good for the top-five this weekend in China.
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