Bailey Tardy won her first LPGA title this season but was in danger of not qualifying for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. It’s been a rough road for Tardy since she broke through at the 2024 Blue Bay LPGA back in March.
But that’s beginning to change.
Georgia’s Tardy carded a final-round 65, her best round since the Blue Bay, to finish in a share of fourth at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia. The 28-year-old suffered 13 missed cuts and a withdrawal after that victory.
“I putted really well today,” said Tardy of her turnaround on the greens. “I’ve been struggling with that all year and so really the last three weeks my putting has been coming together, so pretty proud of that.”
Maybank: Prize money payouts
Tardy ranked 16th in the field in putting when she won the Blue Bay and then ranked 100th in her next event. The trend continued as Tardy frequently ranked outside the top 100 in the field each week in putts per green in regulation. That began to turn during the Asian swing, where she was ranked 30th in putting in Shanghai two weeks ago and 13th at the Maybank.
She currently ranks 152nd in putts per greens in regulation on the season.
Bailey Tardy of the United States attempts a putt on the 18th greenduring the third round of the Maybank Championship 2024 at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on October 26, 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)
As for the CME, Tardy made great strides in Malaysia. She jumped from 65th on the points list to 50th. The top 60 players get in the field. The purse at the Naples, Florida, event will be $11 million, with a record-setting $4 million going to the winner.
Tardy, who won’t play next week in Japan, leaves the fall Asian swing trending in a positive direction.
“I’m excited to go home and see my dog,” she said, “just be home.”