The Blue Bay LPGA returns to China this week for the first event of the season held in the country. While the field may not be one of the strongest of the season on paper, it still has some of the biggest names on the LPGA Tour in the field. Here are our picks for the five players most likely to win this week:
No. 5 – A Lim Kim – What an incredible start to the season for Kim, who has played three times, and finished in the top 10 in each of those starts. Kim currently ranks No. 1 in both Player of the Year standings and Race to the CME Globe standings. She is striking the ball at an elite level, ranking No. 2 on the tour in strokes gained tee-to-green.
No. 4 – Jeeno Thitikul – Betting against Jeeno Thitikul to miss out on a top five finish is foolish. The No. 2 ranked player in the world so has finished in the top five every time she has tee’d it up since October 2024. Thitikul is dominant, just last week finishing runner up in a somewhat quiet fashion. There is nobody in the world of golf who is playing more consistent and better golf than Thitikul.
No. 3 – Ruoning Yin – While Ruoning Yin hasn’t been as dominant as her best friend Thitikul, she has performed well in the past in her home country, winning in Shanghai last season. The No. 4 ranked player in the world has gotten off to a slow start in 2025, which isn’t necessarily unusual for her. She has a chance to get her season jump started this week with the home crowd behind her.
No. 2 – Minjee Lee – This is an excellent chance for Minjee Lee to get back in the winner’s circle for the first time since October, 2023. The field is full of players with less experience than the veteran 10-time winner on tour. She has won before on this course and is playing improved golf from 2024. So far this season, Lee has finished in the top 11 in two of her three starts. This is great progress that eventually, should lead to a win.
No. 1 – Sarah Schmelzel – I think everyone involved in the world of women’s golf is rooting for Schmelzel to notch her first LPGA Tour win. She had a fantastic breakout season in 2024, which really started on this very course where she finished runner up, and had a good enough score to win the Blue Bay almost any other year. Schmelzel has gotten off to a pretty average start, but on a course where she should feel some confidence, I see her finally getting that break through victory.
