The Blue Bay LPGA, the fourth event of the LPGA Tour season, marks the first tournament this year with a cut line. The season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, restricted to winners from the past two years, and the two Asian Swing events in Thailand and Singapore all proceeded without cuts.
However, at the Blue Bay LPGA starting March 5 at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course (par 72) in Hainan Province, China, only players making the 36-hole cut will advance to the third round. While 108 players—the largest field this season—will compete, the tournament presents Korean golfers with a prime opportunity to capture their first win of the year for several reasons.
First, top-ranked players are notably absent. While only one world top-10 player missed last week's HSBC Women's World Championship, only one top-10 player will compete this week: world No. 8 Yin Ruoning of China.
The tournament's second-highest ranked player is world No. 14 Choi Hye-jin of South Korea. Having accumulated the most prize money among winless players, Choi faces an excellent chance at her maiden LPGA victory. World No. 15 Takeda Rio of Japan, last year's champion, follows as the third-highest ranked competitor defending her title. Only these three players rank within the world's top 25.
World No. 26 Kim A-lim, known as South Korea's premier long driver, and world No. 29 Hwang Yu-min round out the top five ranked players in the field.
The tournament includes 20 players from the China LPGA Tour and five sponsor invitees—25 competitors with minimal winning prospects.
As with last year, a rookie victory remains a strong possibility. While only Hwang Yu-min (twice) and Mimi Rhodes of England (once) competed in the first three events, several leading 2026 Rookie of the Year candidates will tee it up this week.
Lee Dong-eun makes her LPGA debut alongside Hwang and Rhodes. The 2024 KLPGA Tour driving distance leader posted impressive results last season: fifth in Player of the Year points, sixth in prize money, and eighth in scoring average.
No Korean player finished in the top 10 at last year's Blue Bay LPGA, while five Japanese players, including champion Takeda, cracked the top 10.
This year's atmosphere differs markedly. Hwang has delivered strong performances in every tournament, and Lee joins to bolster the Korean contingent. Eleven Korean players will compete: Hwang Yu-min, Choi Hye-jin, Lee Dong-eun, Kim A-lim, Choi Un-jung, Lee Mi-hyang, Shin Ji-eun, Kang Min-ji, Lee Jeong-eun5, Park Geum-gang, and Joo Su-bin.
Although veterans including Ryu Hae-ran—who has finished top 10 in all three events this season—Kim Hyo-joo, Kim Sei-young, and Ko Jin-young are skipping the tournament, an exceptional opportunity awaits South Korea's young golfers.