Mexico native Gaby Lopez is squarely in the mix through 36 holes at the Blue Bay LPGA in the People’s Republic of China.

The 31-year-old kicked off her week at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Course with a 3-under 69 on Thursday, an opening-round effort that saw her make two bogeys and five birdies, and then backed that up with a 2-under 70 on day two, carding three bogeys and five birdies to maintain her T4 position through the second round.

Lopez had a bit of a slow start on Friday, making four pars before dropping a shot with a bogey on the par-3 4th hole. She recovered with a birdie on five but gave that stroke back immediately with another bogey on six. Lopez then landed a one-two punch of birdies on holes eight and nine to turn in 1-under and move to 4-under total, climbing to 5-under for the tournament after picking up another birdie on 12.

The three-time LPGA Tour winner collected her fifth birdie of the round on the par-5 14th hole to move to 6-under and ultimately made one bogey more bogey coming down the stretch to finish at 5-under total, just two strokes back of 36-hole co-leaders Nasa Hataoka and Cassie Porter.

“It was way windier today than yesterday,” Lopez said. “Really happy with keeping up the momentum. Couple of mistakes out there in the middle of the golf round. Very happy with how it's kind of putting my game all together.

“I feel that overall, it's been clicking. I've been working really hard on my short game, putting, driving the golf ball, so I think everything has been very solid. Couple of mistakes here and there, but in really tough conditions, you got to accept you're going to make mistakes.”

Lopez is a past champion of the Blue Bay LPGA, winning the 2018 edition of the tournament to become a Rolex First-Time Winner in her third full season with the LPGA Tour. She has earned two other titles in the years since her triumph in the People’s Republic of China, recording her second career victory at the 2020 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and then collecting her third Tour win in 2022 at the Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio.

Even though it’s been a solid couple of years for the veteran following that last victory, two seasons that have seen her earn six top-10 finishes and only miss a handful of cuts, Lopez hasn’t contended for very many titles recently and is looking forward to having that opportunity once again over the weekend at the Blue Bay LPGA.

“This is exactly the place we all want to be in,” she said when asked what it meant to be in this position at a place she has won before. “This is what I practice for, so I am excited for the weekend.”

This is Lopez’s fifth appearance at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Course, and along with her win in 2018, she has never finished worse than the solo 24th she recorded at the Blue Bay LPGA in 2017, also tying for 18th in 2016 and then tying for 12th last year. She is playing in her fourth event of the 2025 season, and after a quiet start, one that saw her tie for 62nd at the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands and then tie for 33rd at the Honda LPGA Thailand, Lopez found some form last week in Singapore, tying for fourth at the HSBC Women’s World Championship with a four-day total of 7-under.

It's a hot hand that she has successfully ridden up to this point in the People’s Republic of China, and she will be working to keep that momentum rolling with two days to go at the Blue Bay LPGA as Lopez battles to hang onto or better her spot at the top of the leaderboard in the year’s fifth event.

“Just keeping my game plan,” said Lopez of her weekend mindset. “Just being able to maintain my bubble. Having that concentration and that game plan with my caddie has been really fun. Happy to see all the hard work paid off.”

Past Blue Bay LPGA Champion Gaby Lopez in a Tie for Fourth in China

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