Bailey Tardy secures 1st LPGA win at Blue Bay, China
Five birdies over closing eight holes puts Tardy in the winners circle.
Mizuno’s Bailey Tardy opened her LPGA winners account with an impressive victory at the 2024 Blue Bay in Hainan Island, China. Five birdies over the closing eight holes demonstrated Tardy’s confidence – closing at 15 under and breaking the 72-hole scoring record by a total of 6 shots. Tardy is in just her 2nd season on the LPGA Tour, but leading the 2023 Women’s US Open after three rounds at Pebble Beach was a sign of immense promise from the rookie.
I got off to a little slow start on the front nine, and then just really stayed patient out there. I can’t say that I woke up today knowing I was going to shoot 65 or knowing I needed to go that low to win. I just knew it was going to be a tough day. I thought that everybody was going to play really well. The leaderboard was stacked and the conditions were windy, so just really proud of myself and how I handled myself.
Tardy’s route to stardom has not been a smooth one. A standout player at the University of Georgia – Tardy looked fated to golfing stardom from the start. Named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2016, winning the 2018 Georgia State Amateur Championship, qualifying for the US Women’s Open in 2014, 2016 and 2017, and being a member of the 2016 Curtis Cup – Bailey was expected to quickly work her way onto the LPGA Tour upon turning professional.
Bailey Tardy with trophy after winning the Blue Bay LPGA at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on March 10, 2024 in Hainan Island, Hainan. Getty Images.
After qualifying for the 2019 Epson Tour, Tardy unexpectedly missed 14 cuts. A combination of wrist and knee injuries stalled her rush to stardom. Tardy returned in 2020 only to have COVID-19 shorten the season and cut the number of qualifying spots. In a typical year, 10 LPGA Tour cards are handed out at the end of the Epson Tour season. When 2020 came to a close, the number had been cut to five. Tardy finished sixth – missing by just $343.
Tardy was impressive with Mizuno ST-Z driver.
Tardy was back for the 2021 Epson Tour season, where she finally won again at the Copper Rock Classic. Yet when the final putt fell at the season-ending Epson Tour Championship, Tardy had missed her card again, finishing 12th on the money list.
Back for one last push in 2022, Tardy played 21 events, the most starts of any player on Tour. Going into the final event, the Epson Tour Championship at LPGA International, Tardy was still 10th but dropped a spot to 11th and again missed an automatic LPGA Tour card. The very last chance was Q-Series. After eight gruelling rounds in drizzly Alabama, Tardy was -27 and alone in second place, finally claiming an LPGA Tour card on the 4th attempt.
Tardy’s introduction to Mizuno was equally unconventional. The first contact was a call from Tardy to Mizuno’s Lauren Smith – enquiring about a job in the Epson Tour’s ‘off-season’.
I needed to fill the time, earn some money and I was also wondering if i needed to open another door career-wise. Nothing was certain with the injuries, but I knew that I wanted to stay in golf and Mizuno was in my hometown, Atlanta. So i got in touch with Lauren Smith through a friend and we talked – the feeling i got from Mizuno was completely different from what i was used to. There was just a different level of care – it felt like i was part of their family. Soon i was back to focusing on playing and we ended up looking at equipment instead. Lauren sent me a set of Mizuno Pro 223 irons, which i loved, but having just returned from knee surgery I decided against making any equipment changes. I was lacking confidence in the knee and that was enough of an adjustment. I’ve never been someone to change equipment if i can avoid it.
I’d put the Mizuno’s to one side, but in the middle of 2022 i realised that i wasn’t getting the equipment support i needed from my equipment supplier. Coming back from knee surgery was when i most needed the support and i wasn’t getting what i needed. I wanted to work with people who were proud to be with me. I knew that Lauren and Jeff Cook at Mizuno were the people i really wanted to work with. That stayed with me and when i earned my Tour card, there was only one manufacturer i wanted to represent. Lauren had gone above and beyond to get me on board from day one – she was amazing.