LPGA Tour cancels upcoming event in China due to Covid concerns

The LPGA Tour’s upcoming event in China has been canceled, the organization announced Tuesday. Citing “Covid-19 related matters,” the LPGA has canceled the Blue Bay LPGA for the third time in four years.

The event, which was slated to be played March 9-12 on Hainan Island, featured a $2.1 million purse and was the final leg of a three-tournament Asian swing. The tournament has not been played since late 2018, with Gabby Lopez taking the crown.

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

The LPGA kicked off their 2023 campaign two weeks ago at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, with Brooke Henderson earning a four-shot victory. The schedule features a four-week break between the season-opener and the second tournament of the year, the Honda LPGA Thailand, with the HSBC Women’s World Championship the following week. The Tour will then have another two-week break before resuming their season stateside at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Arizona.

The LPGA has one more event in China on the 2023 schedule, with the Buick LPGA Shanghai scheduled for Oct. 13-15. The LPGA has not played any events in China since 2019.

The WGC-HSBC Champions, an event co-sanctioned by the PGA and DP World Tours, has also not visited China since 2019. The event was previously held annually from 2005 to 2019. PGA Tour China, a development tour that feeds into the Korn Ferry Tour, has not played a season since 2019 as well.

The Volvo China Open, an annual event on the DP World Tour schedule, was most recently held in 2021, although the event was canceled in 2022. The event does not appear on the 2023 DP World Tour schedule.