LPGA officials have announced that the Blue Bay LPGA has been cancelled again due to “ongoing COVID-19 related matters” in China. The tournament was originally scheduled to be played March 9-12 on Hainan Island and feature a $2.1 million purse. The last time it was played was in the autumn of 2018, where Gaby Lopez won. The last time the LPGA hosted any tournament in China was October 2019.

The LPGA started its 2023 season two weeks ago in Florida with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, won by Brooke Henderson. The next event, however, isn’t until the end of February when the tour was scheduled to begin a three-event swing in Asia. The Blue Bay LPGA was slotted as the final event of the swing, after stops in Thailand and Singapore. The first two stops are still moving forward as planned.

“We thank Hainan Greentown Blue Bay, the China Golf Association, CLPGA and IMG for all their efforts and very much look forward to returning to Hainan in 2024,” the tour said in a press release.

The 2023 LPGA schedule includes also includes another event in China, the Buick LPGA Shanghai, slated for October 13-15.

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By Joel Beall
China announced it will not stage any international sporting events for the rest of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic, putting the fates of two high-profile golf tournaments in doubt.

China’s General Administration of Sports cited “science and order” as impetus for its decision. The country has largely contained and curbed transmission of COVID-19; however, China is on guard for imported cases of the disease.

What that means for the immediate futures of the WGC-HSBC and LPGA Shanghai is unclear.

There is the possibility the WGC-HSBC, originally scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 1, is moved to the United States. But the WGC-HSBC is a tri-sanctioned event by the PGA, European and Asia Tours, and whatever move made would need the blessing of all three circuits. There’s also the prospect the event is cancelled and a new temporary event is put in its stead, similar to the situation that saw the Workday Charity Open replace the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour schedule.

As of writing, the PGA Tour has not responded to a Golf Digest request for comment.

As for the LPGA Shangai, scheduled for Oct. 15-18, the LPGA told Golf Digest that “We are communicating with our partners at IMG and the China Golf Association to learn more about this news. We will share more information when it is available.”

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