BANDON, Ore. — On most days, the driving range at Bandon Dunes is not a place for stripe shows. It’s where mid-to-high handicap resort guests bang out buckets, hoping to find answers in the dirt.

When the Women’s China Open first teed off in 2006, the occasion was quietly significant. At the time, women’s golf in the Middle Kingdom was still taking fledgling steps in the global game. The ...