Mi Hyang Lee secures victory at Blue Bay LPGA, concluding an 8-year absence from titles.
HAINAN ISLAND, China — Mi Hyang Lee relinquished her lead with two double bogeys on the front nine, but clinched victory on the final hole Sunday with a lob wedge that struck the pin, setting up a tap-in birdie to secure the win at the Blue Bay LPGA by one stroke.
Lee finished with a 1-over 73, edging out Zhang Weiwei, who recorded a 69 at Jian Lake Blue Bay but lost her advantage with a bogey on the 17th hole. This marked Lee’s third LPGA title and her first in over eight years.
“I almost gave up, but my caddie kept encouraging me, ‘Keep fighting, fighting.’ So I really persevered, didn’t give up, and managed to make several birdies,” Lee remarked, reflecting on her response to a 40 on the front nine with three birdies on the back. “It feels amazing.”
The South Korean concluded at 11-under 277, marking her first victory since the 2017 Women’s Scottish Open.
Auston Kim (71) remained in the hunt for an LPGA title for the second consecutive week, following her second-place finish at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, and made three birdies in the last five holes to tie for third with Aditi Ashok (72) from India.
“I’m proud of the three birdies I made coming in, but it’s really disappointing to play so well Thursday and Friday and not finish it off. It’s quite frustrating,” Kim stated. “I hope that moving forward, I won’t repeat the same mistakes I made this week and will perform better.”
Lee’s three-shot advantage heading into the final round diminished during a challenging front nine, where she recorded double bogeys at the par-4 fifth and ninth holes, allowing Zhang to take the lead.
However, after the turn, Lee regained her composure, making birdies at the 10th and 13th to stay close to the Chinese player, before Zhang’s bogey at the 17th provided an opportunity for Lee.
On the par-5 18th, Lee had 75 yards to the hole and approached the green to assess the landing area for her shot to a pin positioned on the top shelf. Her 58-degree wedge struck the pin and settled two feet away, prompting Lee to raise her hands in disbelief.
“I just kept saying, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy,'” Lee expressed.
Defending champion Rio Takeda of Japan (73) finished tied for fifth alongside Hye-Jin Choi (72), Yu Liu (74) from China, and South Korea’s A Lim Kim (73).
The Blue Bay LPGA was the third consecutive LPGA event during its initial Asia swing of the season. Following a week where nine of the top 10 players in the world competed in Singapore, the field in China featured only one of the top 10, Ruoning Yin of China, a former Women’s PGA champion. She shot 76 and concluded at 1-over 289, tying for 24th.
The LPGA will take a week off before continuing its U.S. schedule with the Founders Cup in California.
