After tying for eighth at last week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship, her best result on the LPGA Tour since the 2022 Dana Open, Sarah Schmelzel is back at it again this week at the Blue Bay LPGA, shooting a first-round 66 and a second-round 69 to hold the first 36-hole lead/co-lead of her LPGA Tour career alongside Narin An with two rounds to go in the People’s Republic of China.
Schmelzel lit up the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on Thursday, making four birdies on her first nine holes to turn in 32, three of which came in a four-hole stretch on 15, 17 and 18. The 29-year-old then made two birdies in her closing nine on the par-5 3rd and par-4 6th holes, ultimately finishing bogey-free to post her lowest round since she carded a 66 on day two of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican last November.
“There wasn't much wind when I played,” Schmelzel told media after her first round. “My front nine was the back, so that was nice to get off to a little bit of a hot start on that side. Didn't have many conditions to contend with. When we made the turn, it got a little more difficult with the wind picking up with just a few harder holes on that side. So just try to keep managing my game the best I can.”
Friday saw Schmelzel get off to a slow start, making eight pars and one birdie on No. 3 on the front nine before she made her first bogey of the week on the par-4 10th hole. Undeterred, the LPGA Tour veteran parred 11 and then rattled off three straight birdies on holes 12, 13 and 14 to get to 9-under overall, parring in to post a 69 and open with two rounds in the 60s for the first time since last year’s The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
“I made the turn and made a bogey on 10. Then hit one really close on 12. It was nice to get settled back in,” said Schmelzel, who hit 13 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in the second round. “Then rolled in a couple of putts on the next two holes. It was nice to get a few shots back and get a little closer to the lead and finish out with some strong pars on the way in, so it was a good day.”
This is Schmelzel’s first start in the Blue Bay LPGA and just her second time playing in the People’s Republic of China since she joined the Tour in 2019. It’s her fourth tournament of the 2024 season, and after a missed cut at the LPGA Drive On Championship, Schmelzel quickly found her footing, tying for 31st at the Honda LPGA Thailand and then finishing T8 last week in Singapore, which was just her ninth career top 10 on the LPGA Tour.
Now, with another weekend in contention on tap, Schmelzel is putting the highest premium on course management over the next 36 holes as she works to track down her first LPGA Tour title on Saturday and Sunday at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course. She knows that sticking to her game plan – one that seems to be working – will be important as the butterflies try to creep in over the weekend and the chasers continue their dogged pursuit.
But a calm, cool and collected Schmelzel is more than ready for this latest challenge, and considering how well she’s been playing these last two weeks in Asia, a victory could just so happen to be in the cards for the Arizona native in the People’s Republic of China come Sunday at the Blue Bay LPGA.
“(I wasn’t) going to change much of my process from the first round to today's round, and the same goes for the weekend,” Schmelzel said. “I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other, really manage the golf course. With the greens and everything, trying to really minimize mistakes. It's nice to see the prep work and the game plan pay off so far, and looking forward to seeing how it holds up over the weekend.”
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