Inicio Main Tours LPGA Tour Bailey Tardy achieves her first LPGA victory at Blue Bay in China
The American signed a great 65 today that gives her her first victory on the circuit.

Bailey Tardy achieves her first LPGA victory at Blue Bay in China

Ten-Golf
Compartir
Bailey Tardy © LPGA
Bailey Tardy © LPGA

The Blue Bay LPGA, tournament held this week at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course in Lingshui, in the People’s Republic of China, has been the exception that proves the rule, showing that experience is not always a degree. Because if we look at the battles fought by one and another, the American Bailey Tardy (-19) was all set to lose in the last round, in which she started as co-leader tied with Sarah Schmelzel (-15) and, above all, Lydia Ko (-13).

Tardy, born in Peachtree Corners, a small city in Georgia, shone like few others during her amateur and university stage. But in what is being her second season on the LPGA, she barely had a top 10 as the best result of her career. Opposite were Schmelzel, with nine results among the top 10, although also without victories, and Ko, one of the best in the history of the tour with 20 titles and more than a hundred top 10s, who also aspired to become the youngest golfer to enter the Hall of Fame (she needed to win to achieve it).

But Bailey has known how to play her cards better than anyone to debut her list of victories in a big way. From her start of the final round, it didn’t seem like she could be capable of surprising. But on the par five of hole 8 something clicked and a tsunami of hits began that led her to her goal. With an eagle on that par five and a birdie on the next flag, she reached 15 under par that placed her as the sole leader, taking advantage of a bogey by Schmelzel. And from there, no one could stop her.

She made a bogey on the 10th that didn’t cost her the lead, but it did leave her margin to second place by only one stroke. But with birdies at 11, 12, 13, 15 and 17 she gave no chance to her rivals and was crowned in a big way, with a tremendous card of 65 strokes, even improving the great 66 of the ‘moving day’ that had put her fully in the fight. A victory that gives her a check for 330,000 dollars and shoots her up to the top 15 of the Race to CME Globe.

Bailey Tardy, 27 years old, was AJGA Rolex All-American three years in a row, between 2013 and 2015, qualified three times for the US Women’s Open as an amateur, in 2014, 2016 and 2017, won the North and South Women’s Amateur of 2015, played the Curtis Cup of 2016 and won the Georgia State Amateur of her native state, where she also played during her studies at the University of Georgia.

In 2018 she turned professional and quickly got the Epson Tour card at the Qualifying School, but decided to stay a few more months at university, until she graduated in May 2019. In 2020 she finished sixth on the earnings list and did not get the LPGA card by just 343 dollars. In 2021 she achieved her first victory as a professional, the Copper Rock Championship, but finished 12th on the earnings list that distributed 10 cards. Until in 2022, after five top 5s, she got the LPGA card through the Q-Series.

In her rookie season she led the US Women’s Open after the second round to finish the tournament in a tied fourth place, a result that allowed her to take a cash prize of 482,136 dollars. Today, although the check is smaller, the reward for her work is even greater, joining the group of winners of the LPGA in a Blue Bay LPGA in which the only Spaniard, Azahara Muñoz (+2), finished in 52nd place tied with a final round of 70 strokes (two bogeys and four birdies).

Check the final results of the Blue Bay LPGA 2024