HAINAN ISLAND, China — Former Georgia Bulldog Bailey Tardy fired a final-round 65 on Saturday en route to capturing her first LPGA victory – the Blue Bay LPGA at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course.
Tardy, who played for Georgia from 2015-19, entered the final round tied with Lydia Ko and Sarah Schmelzel at 12-under before closing with her low round of the week, 7-under, to win by four strokes.
“Lot of emotion right now,” Tardy said. “There’s a lot of hard work and just a lot of doubt that was in my head that I could be at this level and win. This is special.”
Tardy seized control midway through the final round. After opening the day with seven pars, she sank a 51-foot eagle putt at No. 8. That sparked her covering her final 10 holes at 7-under. Tardy birdied No. 9 but gave that stroke back with her lone bogey of the day at No. 10. She notched birdies at No. 11, No. 12, No. 13, No. 15 and No. 17 before a short par putt to clinch the victory.
“My caddie said to enjoy the walk and I said ‘Not yet. Just not yet.’” Tardy said. “I’m really excited and this one definitely means a lot.
“My ball striking was pretty good all day long and I made a lot of good approach shots on the back nine,” Tardy added. “That really put me in a position to score the way I did today.”
Tardy was the 2016 SEC Freshman of the Year and a two-time All-American for the Bulldogs. She captured a pair of individual titles, winning the 2015 Windy City Collegiate and the 2016 NCAA Bryan Regional, and helped Georgia win 10 team titles over four seasons. Tardy owns two of the top-10 season stroke averages in school history.
Tardy is in her second season on the LPGA Tour. She finished fourth at the U.S. Women’s Open last year, the highlight of her rookie season.