It was an exceptional Sunday performance yet again by the future hall-of-famer Lydia Ko who won HSBC Women's World Champs in some style defeating the red-hot Jeeno Thitikul and Ayaka Furue by four shots. With that win it is now win number 23 for the legendary Kiwi who shows no sign of stopping either! For us, it was another nearly but no-cigar week for us with both Hannah Green and Hyo Joo Kim finishing T7th, just outside the places at 18/1 and 50/1. Both of them having at least one bad round. Green, first day 75, and Hyo Joo, third day 74. Hannah clawed it back after a dreadful three-over 75. She left herself too much work to do to successfully defend! We move onto China!
Tournament
In the last of the early Asian Swing, the players travel to Hainan Island in China for this week's Blue Bay LPGA at the 6,600-plus yard Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course. Judging by the weather forecast, it will be challenging with heavy winds due for the most part of this week. I can't see the winning score being too low! Players are going to have to navigate and plot their way around, although with it being a long course it should still favourite some of the longer hitters.
Although first established in 2014 with Lee Anne Pace being the inaugural winner at Blue Bay LPGA, the event has only been played five times due to a five-straight-year absence from the schedule. This was due to the health and safety risks of China at the time of peak Covid-19 with cancellations from 2019-2023. The Tour returned here last year where Bailey Tardy came from absolutely nowhere to win a maiden LPGA Tour title winning by four shots!
Event History
2024: Bailey Tardy (-19) by 4 shots to Sarah Schmelzel
2019-2023: Event Cancelled!
2018: Gaby Lopez (-8) by 1 shot to Ariya Jutanugarn
2017: Shanshan Feng (-9) by 1 shot to Moriya Jutanugarn
2016: Minjee Lee (-13) by 1 shot to Jessica Korda
2015: Sei Young Kim (-2) by 1 shot to Kim Kaufman, Candie Kung & Stacy Lewis
2014: Lee Anne Pace (-16) by 3 shots to Caroline Masson
2024 Blue Bay LPGA
1) Bailey Tardy (-19)
2) Sarah Schmelzel (-15)
3) Ayaka Furue (-14)
4) Savannah Grewal, Minjee Lee & Lydia Ko (-13)
7) Riuxin Liu (-12)
8) Stephanie Meadow (-11)
9) Hye Jin Choi (-10)
10) Xiyu Janet Lin & Lucy Li (-9)
12) Celine Boutier, Gaby Lopez & Mao Saigo (-8)
15) Michelle Zhang, Yang Liu, Anna Nordqvist, Gabi Ruffels & Sei Young Kim (-7)
21) Yuna Nishimura, Frida Kinhult, Moriya Jutanugarn, Lauren Coughlin, Mi Hyang Lee, Yu Jin Sung & Olivia Cowan (-6)
Current Form of the Top 15 in Market
Jeeno Thitikul: 2/3/1/2/1/2/8/5
Ayaka Furue: 2/20/13/25/8/20/10/30
Miyu Yamashita: 21/4/6/1/4/12/26/7
Ronni Yin: 21/26/62/4/20/1/14/1
A Lim Kim: 7/6/1/25/34/1/64/39
Minjee Lee: 11/28/4/7/30/14/64/33
Celine Boutier: 29/28/7/14/5/12/8/12
Jin Hee Im: 4/20/4/42/2/MC/30/17
Nasa Hataoka: 14/11/55/25/4/63/9/7
Rio Takeda: 21/9/45/8/5/3/MC/1
Mao Saigo: 11/33/28/25/MC/35/26/30
Ina Yoon: 4/MC/12/5/12/9/3
Gaby Lopez: 4/33/62/32/20/56/21/17
Leona Maguire: 21/33/19/9/42/MC/70/35
Pajaree Annanarukarn: 14/17/MC/10/30/22/10/52
Picks
Rio Takeda 18/1 (5pl ew, SpreadEx)
Current Form
21st HSBC Women's World Championship
9th Honda LPGA Thailand
45th Founders Cup
8th Tournament of Champions
5th JLPGA Tour Championship
3rd Daio Paper Elleair Open (JLPGA)
MC Ito-En Ladies (JLPGA)
1st Toto Japan Classic
While Jeeno is here this week even after admitting she was tired and the ever-consistent Ayaka Furue respected but too short at 9/1. It was between two of Japan's brightest new talents in Miyu Yamashita and Rio Takeda where I have opted for the 2024 Toto Japan Classic winner Takeda at 18/1. She's had a steady start to her first full year as a LPGA Tour player finishing 21st in Singapore, ninth in Thailand, 45th in Bradenton and eighth at Lake Nona. Takeda is longish 0ff-th-tee, ranking 15th, 13th, 15th and seventh for Driving Distance in her last four events. She is also a super iron player ranking 12th, third andsecond in three-of-her-last-four starts for greens in regulation. She's a birdie maker and capable of going low at any given time. With so much junk at the top I think 18/1 for a proven winner in Asia is a good start! Wouldn't back less than 14/1
Pajaree 'Meaw' Annanarukarn 45/1 (5pl ew, Ladbrokes)
Current Form
14th HSBC Women's World Championship
17th Honda LPGA Thailand
MC Founders Cup
10th Tournament of Champions
30th CME Globe Tour Championship
22nd Toto Japan Classic
10th Maybank Championship
52nd BMW Ladies Open (South Korea)
While Gaby Lopez has good course form here and on a high from last week and Leona Maguire is consistently getting better each week, I have opted for two-time LPGA Tour winner in Meaw Annanarukarn. It's crazy to think that Annanarukarn sometimes gets forgotten about due to the ridiculous form of Jeeno Thitikul and just how big The Jutanugarn sisters are for Thai Golf. Also, the emergence of the talented Chanettee Wannasaen. Pajaree is top class and she has started the season really well with three Top 20's in her first four events this year. She placed 14th in Singapore, 17th on home soil in Thailand and tenth at Tournament of Champions. She was fourth after three holes on Sunday in Singapore before making some costly errors but that is forgiven as it's a tough golf course at Sentosa. She is a good putter ranking 12th, 22nd and eighth in three-of-her-last-four for putting average. She tends to play well in China and at 45/1 for a two-time Tour winner, seems value for a current form horse. Wouldn't back less than 33/1
Yuri Yoshida 80/1 (5pl ew, SpreadEx)
Current Form
23rd Founders Cup
MC The Annika
5th LOTTE Championship
2nd Hisaki Higuchi Mitsubishi Ladies (JLPGA)
16th Masters Golf Club Ladies (JLPGA)
40th Fujitsu Ladies (JLPGA)
Next is the young and talented Yuri Yoshida who played better towards the end of last year in a bid to keep her card. She did go back to Final Stage Q School to regain her privileges and started off well with a T23rd at a tough Founders Cup. I hope that it gives her the confidence boost needed to go on to do well this season for the Japanese star. She ranked at both Founders Cup and LOTTE Championship either side of the year in 13th and sixth for driving accuracy. She also finished fifth and tenth for putting average. If her game is on then I feel like Yuri can mount a challenge. She has the talent to threaten. Wouldn't back less than 50/1
Bianca Pagdanganan 90/1 (5pl ew, SpreadEx)
Current Form
MC Founders Cup
20th The Annika
11th LOTTE Championship
18th Maybank Championship
MC Wistron Ladies Open (LET)
MC NW Walmart Arkansas
32nd Kroger Queen City Championship
With this course playing over 6,600-plus yards, I felt obliged to take an extremely long hitter and that's what we have in Bianca Pagdanganan. Although admittedly, she can be really streaky and sometimes quite an erratic player, there is no denying she can be a danger at a course that should suit her eye with her epic power and off-the-tee related game. She averages roughly around the 260-270 yard mark for driving distance, which should give her the advantages when it comes to the scoreable holes. She ranked fourth & first at The Annika and LOTTE Championship for off-the-tee to give you an example of how stellar she can be. If she can hoke just above average for putting then I feel she can be good value at 90/1. Wouldn't back less than 66/1
Fati Fernandez Cano 250/1 (5pl ew, Paddy Power)
Current Form
21st Saudi International Ladies (LET)
MC Founders Cup
37th Open de Espaňa (LET)
4th Aramco Series - Riyadh
8th Epson Tour Championship
13th Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic
1st Guardian Championship (Epson)
Now as some of this year's tour card holders roll up into China, I am going to go final pick with a long shot in talented Spanish player Fati Fernandez Cano. She battled back last year from a career threatening injury to finish third on Epson Tour Order of Merit which included a win at Guardian Championship, defeating Ingrid Lindblad. I'm a big fan of Fati, not only does she have a great upcoming caddy in former podcast guest Jonny Lane, who is making waves in less than two-years as a caddy and it's his first time as a LPGA Tour Caddy. That is a remarkable achievement in two years but Fati is a super golfer and one of the most lethal players in the world when it comes to greens in regulation ranking ninth, 26th and fourth in three-of-her-last-four starts for that metric. The bubbly Galician missed the cut by one at the Founders Cup but recovered well after a horrible first round. She was 21st in a good field in Saudi, which is sign that the game is still there and I expect the Spanish star to be ready this time round on the LPGA Tour. Vamos. Wouldn't back less than 125/1
Relatively weakened field this week so we very well might see another maiden title winner if Jeeno or Ayaka don't decide to turn up of course! Enjoy the Golf, thanks for the support!
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