Tag: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

Walmart NW Arkansas Championship prize money payouts for each LPGA player at Pinnacle Country Club

Jasmine Suwannapura earned $450,000 for her third LPGA win.

Jasmine Suwannapura won the 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship for her third LPGA title and first this season.

Suwannapura shot a final-round 61 to tie Lucy Li – who shot a final-round 60 – to force a playoff at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas.

Two playoff holes later, Suwannapura was celebrating victory after making her second eagle on the par-5 18th hole in one day.

For the win, Suwannapura earned $450,000. She’s now made $687,702 this season and $4,054,098 in her career. She is the 117th player to surpass the $4 million mark on the LPGA.

Prize money payouts at the 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Jasmine Suwannapura -17 $450,000
2 Lucy Li -17 $275,072
3 Sei Young Kim -16 $199,545
T4 Mao Saigo -14 $139,305
T4 Arpichaya Yubol -14 $139,305
6 Ashleigh Buhai -13 $101,655
T7 Lauren Hartlage -12 $68,824
T7 Jennifer Kupcho -12 $68,824
T7 Linnea Strom -12 $68,824
T7 Jeeno Thitikul -12 $68,824
T7 Nasa Hataoka -12 $68,824
T12 Jin Hee Im -11 $46,685
T12 Grace Kim -11 $46,685
T12 Jenny Shin -11 $46,685
T12 Kristen Gillman -11 $46,685
T12 Yuna Nishimura -11 $46,685
T17 Yealimi Noh -10 $35,441
T17 Yu Liu -10 $35,441
T17 Cheyenne Knight -10 $35,441
T17 Lexi Thompson -10 $35,441
T17 Maria Marin (a) -10 $0
T17 Liqi Zeng -10 $35,441
T17 Pajaree Anannarukarn -10 $35,441
T24 Jennifer Chang -9 $29,869
T24 Maja Stark -9 $29,869
T24 Wei-Ling Hsu -9 $29,869
T27 Georgia Hall -8 $23,298
T27 Kiira Riihijarvi -8 $23,298
T27 Nicole Broch Estrup -8 $23,298
T27 Benedetta Moresco -8 $23,298
T27 Jodi Ewart Shadoff -8 $23,298
T27 Carlota Ciganda -8 $23,298
T27 Gurleen Kaur -8 $23,298
T27 Robyn Choi -8 $23,298
T27 Olivia Cowan -8 $23,298
T27 Gaby Lopez -8 $23,298
T37 Leona Maguire -7 $16,394
T37 Mina Harigae -7 $16,394
T37 Madelene Sagstrom -7 $16,394
T37 Laura Wearn -7 $16,394
T37 Celine Boutier -7 $16,394
T37 Stephanie Kyriacou -7 $16,394
T37 Minami Katsu -7 $16,394
T44 Celine Borge -6 $11,004
T44 Mi Hyang Lee -6 $11,004
T44 Kaitlyn Papp Budde -6 $11,004
T44 Savannah Grewal -6 $11,004
T44 Ally Ewing -6 $11,004
T44 Sandra Gal -6 $11,004
T44 Stacy Lewis -6 $11,004
T44 Amy Yang -6 $11,004
T44 Gabriela Ruffels -6 $11,004
T44 Auston Kim -6 $11,004
T44 A Lim Kim -6 $11,004
T44 Gemma Dryburgh -6 $11,004
T44 Polly Mack -6 $11,004
T44 Dottie Ardina -6 $11,004
T58 Lilia Vu -5 $7,659
T58 Lindy Duncan -5 $7,659
T58 Maude-Aimee LeBlanc -5 $7,659
T58 Jing Yan -5 $7,659
T58 Emma Talley -5 $7,659
T58 Paula Reto -5 $7,659
T58 Maria Fassi -5 $7,659
T65 Peiyun Chien -4 $6,777
T65 Pernilla Lindberg -4 $6,777
T65 Megan Khang -4 $6,777
T68 Amanda Doherty -3 $6,250
T68 Nanna Koerstz Madsen -3 $6,250
T68 Lindsey Weaver-Wright -3 $6,250
T68 Hee Young Park -3 $6,250
T72 Min Lee -2 $5,873
T72 Aline Krauter -2 $5,873
T72 Weiwei Zhang -2 $5,873
75 Gina Kim E $5,722
76 Minji Kang 1 $5,654
77 Emily Kristine Pedersen 5 $5,582

 

Jasmine Suwannapura fires 61, wins playoff at 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

Suwannapura wins third LPGA title.

Lucy Li had three eagles and shot a final-round 60 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. And she needed all of it to earn a spot in a playoff.

A short while after Li eagled the par-5 18th hole, Jasmine Suwannapura eagled it herself to shoot a 61 and get to 17 under to tie for the lead at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas.

The duo then dueled in extra holes, and on the second playoff hole, Suwannapura hit an amazing second shot that found the back of the green before rolling back to about 12 feet.

https://twitter.com/LPGA/status/1840503116224999432

She then made the putt for yet another eagle on the par-5 18th, but this one was the clincher.

Suwannapura is the fifth player from Thailand to win on the LPGA in 2024, joining Moriya Jutanugarn (Portland Classic), Patty Tavatanakit (Honda LPGA Thailand), Jeeno Thitikul (Dow Championship) and Chanettee Wannasaen (Dana Open). Suwannapura is the 18th different winner on the LPGA this season.

Lucy Li has three Sunday eagles, shoots 60 at 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

Li made her third eagle of the round on the par-5 closing hole.

Lucy Li was even through six holes Sunday at Pinnacle Country Club during the final round of the LPGA’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Then she started making her move.

She birdied No. 7, holed out for eagle on the par-4 eighth, birdied the ninth to make the turn in 32. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 got her to 12 under and then after a pair of pars, she made her second eagle of the day with a 3 on the par-5 14th. Another birdie on the 15th got her to 15 under and take the outright lead.

On 18, Li made her third eagle of the round on the par-5 closing hole by draining a 30-foot putt to fire a final-round 60 and take the clubhouse lead at 17 under.

https://twitter.com/LPGA/status/1840472440356389323

Ten years ago, at age 11, Li became the youngest golfer to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Now at age 21, Li eyes her first LPGA win.

This six-bedroom home on an LPGA host golf course in Arkansas is selling for $3M

You can live on the course where Hae Ran Ryu locked up 2023 LPGA Rookie of the Year honors.

Last October, LPGA rookie Hae Ran Ryu began the final round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship with a two-stroke advantage and hit the gas on the back nine with a closing 29 to win by three.

She went on to take the circuit’s Rookie of the Year honors.

Meanwhile, Lexi Thompson had her best performance of the year, leading at one point in the final round.

And while the crowd at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, soaked up every moment, it would have been even nicer to enjoy the event from your own back porch. This one-level home, which sits just 30 minutes from the University of Arkansas, has stunning views of the final three holes on the course.

Here’s more from the listing, via Sotheby’s.

Situated on 0.68 acres on a quiet cul-de-sac, this property offers a sense of peace and tranquility with panoramic golf course views inside and out. This completely renovated estate is complete with 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and a powder bathroom featuring an open living floorplan, connecting the chef’s kitchen to the living room and formal dining room, creating an ideal space for entertainment.

The primary suite is a retreat, boasting a sitting area, a generous primary closet, an en-suite lavish bathroom and custom home office with picturesque vistas of the beautiful golf course landscape.

The current price for the home is just over $3 million. Here’s a look at the property.

Lydia Ko led the LPGA money list last year and made $4M, but this year she’s at $200K

Ko counts the 2016 Walmart NW Arkansas event among her 19 wins.

It’s been a minute for Lydia Ko.

The former world No. 1 shot a 65 on Friday in the first round of the 2023 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, which is, believe it or not, her best round in a most forgettable season.

Ko had seven birdies and just one bogey and posted her best round of the year so far by a shot. Ko has 19 wins and 102 top-10s in her career but her only top 10 this year came back in February. Her average finish in 2023 is 43rd. She’s played 15 events prior to this week at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, but has missed four cuts. She did make the weekend in three of the five majors but still, this has been the most un-Lydia-Ko-like season.

In 52 rounds in 2023, she’s broken 70 only 15 times, including Friday’s round. Her lowest point this year came a month ago in the third round of the CPKC Women’s Open, where she bottomed out with a 10-over 82.

She’s 84th on the LPGA’s 2023 money list with $209,776. She won the money title a year ago with $4,364,403.

Maybe this is the spark that gets things turned around.

“I played pretty solid. I don’t think I put myself in too many crazy positions where I had to make up and down. Actually hit it in the water on the par-3, 6 or 5, whatever it is, and I had to drop and I chipped it in for par. So that was definitely good momentum because I had gone birdie, bogey, birdie, and if I didn’t chip it in, would’ve been bogey or more,” she said, recounting her round. “So I think that just helped my day going. I set up a lot of good birdie opportunities, especially from 9 onwards, and couple where it was only like a couple feet. So it’s definitely nice to have those kind of stress-free birdies.”

Ko counts the 2016 Walmart NW Arkansas event among her 19 wins. She noted that seven years ago seems like a long time.

“I see the picture of me in the clubhouse and it feels like a really long time ago. It was 2016, so like seven years ago. A lot of things have happened since then,” she said. “It’s always good to be back at a place where I have a lot of good memories. Played with the same pro-am group for eight years, so it’s just feel like it’s home away from home. Outside of my golf, just seeing them is also like a treat for me when I come here to Arkansas.”

Ko has one of six first-round 65s, which are all tied for the lead. Also in the group is Christina Kim and Hannah Green.

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She’s ‘running low’ but Stacy Lewis is keeping her streak alive at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

Lewis will play Friday’s first round alongside one of her Solheim Cup captain’s picks.

When Stacy Lewis gives her word, it means something.

Despite dedicating a massive chunk of time over the last two years to her job as captain of the American side in the Solheim Cup, Lewis has boasted in the past that she’s proud that Northwest Arkansas — where she honed her craft in college as a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks golf team — is home to an LPGA event.

So even though she’s dragging quite a bit after her team drew last weekend in Spain — meaning Team Europe got to retain the coveted trophy — Lewis is back at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship this week, keeping alive a streak that dates back to the inaugural event in 2007. It was during that magical week in this plush part of the state that she secured her first LPGA victory, pulling off the feat as an amateur as she edged out Katherine Hull, Teresa Lu and Kristy McPherson.

And while Lewis might be still licking her wounds, at least she’s doing so at a place that’s long felt like a second home. She grew up in The Woodlands, Texas, just outside Houston, and still lives there, but maintaining a strong presence in this corner of Arkansas still means plenty to the two-time major champion.

“That’s part of why I’m here. I want to keep the streak alive and support the event. Yeah, I mean, I’m running low on energy, haven’t played a whole lot of golf, so who knows what this week will be like,” Lewis said. “Just to be back and see all the people that you know, in a familiar place, and try to get my body and brain back into normal routine and what I normally do.

“That’s really what this week is about.”

Since she was leading the American side at the Solheim, Lewis’ preparation for this week’s event has been minimal. She hadn’t played a full round of golf for four weeks before taking part in the pro-am this week, and she admits she might be rusty when the action starts at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, on Friday.

Lewis is still close with Arkansas women’s golf coach Shauna Taylor, who was an assistant with the Razorbacks in 2007 when the former captured the NCAA individual title, marking the first time it had been done in school history.

But while she’s eager to relive some distant memories this week, she’s still working through the recent pain of tying the European side after holding a large early lead at the Solheim. Even with the results, Lewis is still pleased with the way she and her team prepared for the event.

2023 Solheim Cup
Captain Stacy Lewis of Team USA holds her daughter on the first tee on Day One of The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 22, 2023, in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

“I guess I was proud of myself of how much I trusted the process and what we had in place. It’s very easy to second-guess yourself or you kind of get under the gun and you have to make a decision in the moment,” Lewis said. “I really trusted our process of our stats and the facts and what we held as true. Really stuck to the plan. I guess I was most proud of myself. There are some moments where you’re kind of like do I go a different direction? No. This is what we talked about, what we’ve worked on. This works. You need to stick to it.”

One thing Lewis has been mulling over is the lack of a tiebreaker, something that’s been in the rules since the event began in 1990, even though this year marked the first tie. Originally, Lewis sided with history and tradition, but she’s since changed her mind.

“They asked me about that on Sunday when we finished. At the time I was kind of torn on it, of what should you do. The more I thought about it, it’s just we put so much work into this, so much time and so much energy, to end in a tie it’s like a terrible finish. Just a blah finish,” Lewis said. “I do think there needs to be a playoff. I would do a team format. Like one of the first two days where you got to send your best two players and let them go duke it out.

“I think the event deserves that. It would be a cool way to finish on Sunday other than just a team retaining the Cup.”

Lewis will tee it up in the first round Friday alongside one of her Solheim Cup captain’s picks, Cheyenne Knight, as well as a member of the victorious European squad, Georgia Hall.

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After a month off, Ryann O’Toole contending again, this time at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

After opening with a 7-under 64, Ryann O’Toole sits tied atop a crowded leaderboard.

Ryann O’Toole had a solo ninth-place finish in Portland a week ago. It was just her third top 10 this LPGA season. It was also the first tournament she played in a month.

A week later, after opening with a 7-under 64, O’Toole sits tied atop a crowded leaderboard at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

It sounds like the four weeks away from competition made for a nice reset.

“It just depends on where you are in life. Sometimes you’re just at a point where, ‘Hey, I got some personal stuff going on. I need to take some me time. Need to sort the brain out,'” she said.

“It’s hard to come out here and perform, especially if your mind is elsewhere. I was curious how that was going to be. I don’t like to usually take that many tournaments off, but sometimes it’s good. I guess it is showing itself now that it’s important.”

O’Toole is among six golfers tied for the lead after shooting 7-under rounds of 64, including Megan Khang, Yuka Saso, Lauren Coughlin from the early wave and later, Jeongeun Lee5 and Sei Young Kim, at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. O’Toole was the only one of the six to par the par-5 18th hole; Coughlin was the only one to eagle it. The others all birdied it.

O’Toole did have six straight birdies on her front nine starting at No. 2 and had eight in all with just one bogey. Yet, after he round, she talked like she could’ve had more circles on her card.

“I definitely felt like I left a lot out there still,” she said after 18 holes of a 54-hole tournament. “Eight birdies, but I still felt like there was a ton left out there, especially on the back side.”

O’Toole, who hit all 18 greens, was among those in the early wave and she had a few ideas on how to fill the time Friday afternoon.

“Just going to do a cool-down practice, couple putts, hit some balls, and probably go check out Bentonville, get a tea somewhere, walk around. There is a lot to do here. Rogers, Arkansas is pretty fun. I do like coming here,” she said.

ESPN+ streaming coverage

Friday’s first round of TV coverage was tape-delayed on Golf Channel but the network will carry the second and final rounds.

In addition, for a second straight week, ESPN+ will have a “featured groups” coverage during both the morning and afternoon waves on all three tournament days.

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ESPN+ will stream featured groups at two LPGA events this month, highlighting full rounds of Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson and Danielle Kang

This marks the first time featured groups at LPGA events are streamed live on any platform.

More LPGA coverage is on its way. ESPN+ will now stream featured groups at this week’s Kroger Queen City Championship and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Both events are presented by P&G.

At the new Kroger Queen City in Cincinnati, 18 of the world’s top 30 players will be featured. This marks the first time featured groups at LPGA events are streamed live on any platform. The ESPN+ feed will deliver the complete rounds of two featured groups in both the morning and afternoon waves of each tournament day.

Thursday’s groups include: (8:36 a.m. ET) Brooke Henderson, Paula Creamer and Minjee Lee; (8:47 a.m.) Leona Maguire, Stacy Lewis, Sei Young Kim; (1:14 p.m.) Ally Ewing, Hannah Green, Andrea Lee; and (1:25) Paula Reto, Sarah Schmelzel, Angela Stanford.

Friday’s featured groups include a whole new slate of players including: (8:36 a.m.) Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Atthaya Thitikul; (8:47 a.m.) Danielle Kang, Jennifer Kupcho, Ashleigh Buhai; (1:14 p.m.) Marina Alex, Alison Lee, Gaby Lopez; (1:25 p.m.) Anna Nordqvist, Mina Harigae, Megan Khang.

ESPN first began televising LPGA golf on Sept. 8, 1979, the network’s second day on air. ESPN regularly aired LPGA events from 1979-2009 but hadn’t covered an event since the 2018 CME Group Tour Championship.

“Partnering with ESPN+ to stream featured groups at these two events is a very important step for the LPGA,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan in a release. “Our goal is always to deliver more content and more engagement opportunities for our current fans and to expose new fans to the skill and personalities of our amazing athletes. ESPN+ is the perfect platform for us to accomplish these goals and for fans to see more great golf.”

Jane Crafter working for Golf Channel during the final round of the LPGA Sybase Classic at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

At the Cincinnati event, Will Haskett will host featured groups coverage alongside analyst and former LPGA player Jane Crafter. Amy Rogers and Hailey Hunter will provide reports and conduct live player interviews.

At the Arkansas stop, Ryan Burr will host the coverage and former LPGA player Gail Graham will fill the analyst role. Rogers and Chantel McCabe will provide reports and interviews.

Full coverage of week’s event will air on Golf Channel Sept. 8-9 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. ET and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekend.

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Pair of aces in Arkansas lifts Nasa Hataoka to fifth career LPGA title

Nasa Hataoka became just the fifth player in LPGA Tour history to make two aces in one tournament.

After a pair of aces in two days, Nasa Hataoka couldn’t have made it look easier to start the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

It didn’t end that way though, as a shaky three-putt par on the last gave Hataoka the one-stroke cushion needed to collect her fifth career title. The powerfully petite Japanese player finished at 16-under 197 for the week at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas.

“It was really, really stressful, especially after the bogey,” said Hataoka of the dropped shot on the 13th that could’ve been much worse had her racing putt not hit the hole and popped up.

Minjee Lee put a solid stroke on a final birdie attempt that slid by the hole to finish tied with Eun-Hee Ji at 15 under. Ji got up and down from a greenside bunker behind the green using only her putter.

Danielle Kang and Yuka Saso both shot 65 to finish in a share of fourth. Saso carded two eagles on Sunday including a sensational approach shot into the 18th with a 5-wood that stopped 4 feet from the hole. After a month off from the tour, she was pleased with the week.

Kang, who debuted as a pro at Pinnacle, said she’s focused on finishing the season strong.

“I’m actually very proud of the work that I’ve done this week,” she said. “I left a lot out there, but I was mentally in a really great place.”

Arkansas stars Stacy Lewis and Maria Fassi played together on Sunday. Lewis’s 66 moved her into a share of sixth at 12 under. Fassi, who launched her foundation this week, struggled to a 73 in the final round and dropped to T-51.

“I played really solid,” said Lewis. “Just never really got the putter going any day. I mean, today I made five birdies and three of them were within about a foot and a half and one was a chip-in.”

India’s Aditi Ashok, who came within one shot of a medal at the Olympics, took a share of eighth.

“I feel like I did good,” Ashok said of the boost she received from Tokyo, “and that was a huge takeaway. I feel like I can actually play well out here, and not just struggle to make putts. I can finish well, like I did in my rookie year. I had a top 10; the second year I had a couple top 10s. After that it’s been a bit of a dry spell.”

Hataoka has now passed Hiromi Kobayashi for third-most victories by a Japanese player, trailing Ayako Okamoto (17) and Ai Miyazato (9).

LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
Nasa Hataoka poses after making a hole-in-one on the 11th hole during the first round of the LPGA NW Arkansas Championship at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. Photo by Kyodo via AP Images

Hataoka’s ace on Friday came on No. 11 when she struck a 9-iron from 135 yards. Saturday’s hole-in-one came on the sixth hole from 175 yards with a 5-iron.

She became just the fifth player in LPGA Tour history to make two aces in one tournament – the first since Ayako Uehara at the 2016 CP Women’s Open – and is the fourth to do it in back-to-back rounds. Hataoka is also the fourth player to have at least two aces in two different seasons, joining Betsy King (2, 1979 and 2, 1990), Meg Mallon (2, 1999 and 2, 2001) and Charlotta Sorenstam (2, 2001 and 3, 2002).

For the aces, CME Group will donate $20,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“I’m also happy that I got the hole-in-ones,” said Hataoka, “but on the other hand, I’m really, really happy to be able to help the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. That’s what makes my really happy.”

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Nasa Hataoka makes history with her second ace of the week at LPGA’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

Two aces in two days, that’s pretty good.

Nasa Hataoka made history today at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship when she became the fifth player to make two aces in an LPGA event, and first since 2016.

Her hole-in-one today came at the par-3 sixth at Pinnacle Country Club in Rodgers, Arkansas, measuring 180 yards. Aside from her ace, she made 5 birdies with one bogey for a 6-under 64. She enters the third round at 12-under, and in a share of the lead.

Joining her at 12-under is Minjee Lee who fired a bogey-free 63, making six birdies on the front-side of Pinnacle CC. Through two rounds, Lee has yet to make a bogey.

Jeongeun Lee6 tied Hataoka for the lowest round of the day, 63. The 2019 U.S. Women’s Open champion, through 36 holes, has made just one bogey. She enters the final round just two back of the two leaders.

Notable names in the mix include U.S. Solheim Cup star Jennifer Kupcho (T-6), Yuka Saso (T-9), Danielle Kang (T-9), Jin Young Ko (T-9), and Maria Fassi (T-18).

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