By: Max Bechtoldt
Bailey Tardy became the first player on the LPGA Tour this season to win a breakthrough event with a four-shot victory over Sarah Schmelzel in China.
Tardy joins a group of winners in 2024 that include four major champions, Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda, Hannah Green and Patty Tavatanakit. While much of this season has been dominated by the superstars, three of the top six on the leaderboard at the Blue Bay LPGA were looking for their first wins.
With her win, Tardy moves up to No. 7 in the CME Standings and jumps 85 spots in the Rolex Rankings all the way to No. 84, by far her highest career ranking.
Tardy had just four bogeys all weekend, hitting 56/72 greens and averaged only 27 putts per round.
The LPGA is off for one week before heading to a brief West Coast swing starting in Palos Verdes, Calif., for the Se-Ri Pak Championship where the LPGA is expected to have its best field of the season so far.
