Rogers, Ark. — There are weeks on the LPGA calendar that feel inevitable, the ones that players circle months in advance because they know what’s coming. The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G is one of those weeks. Birdies will fly. Leaderboards will bunch. And come Sunday evening, someone will walk off the 18th green at Pinnacle Country Club with their name etched into one of the tour’s most electrifying histories.
This is the 19th edition of the championship, a 54-hole sprint for a $3 million purse, with $450,000 going to the winner. But this event has always been about more than the money. It’s about who can seize the moment on a course built for drama, where champions aren’t handed trophies — they seize them.
Jasmine Suwannapura: The Shot That Still Echoes
The defending champion needs no reminder of how quickly fortunes can turn at Pinnacle. Jasmine Suwannapura’s eagle on the 72nd hole last year remains one of the great finishes in recent LPGA memory. With the crowd pressed tight around the green, she drained a putt that sent the tournament into a playoff with Lucy Li. Two holes later, she was holding the trophy aloft, disbelief written all over her face.
That shot wasn’t just a moment. It was a message — that under pressure, Suwannapura had the nerve and the touch to deliver.
Now she returns with that rare title: defending champion. There is a weight in that phrase. Every question she fields this week will nod to last year’s eagle. Every Arkansas fan in the gallery will be wondering if she can do it again. That kind of spotlight can shrink some players. Suwannapura has always been one to embrace it.
The Field: Star-Studded and Story-Laden
The LPGA didn’t hold back in sending talent to Arkansas this week. Nineteen of this season’s 25 winners are here, along with 17 of the world’s top 25. Everywhere you look, there’s a storyline waiting to unfold.
Nelly Korda sits at the top of the intrigue list. The world No. 2 has yet to win in 2025, a shocking sentence considering she won seven times last season. Her ball-striking remains elite, her putting statistically better than ever. Yet Sundays have haunted her. Since April, her closing-round scoring average has ballooned to 72.0, while her strokes gained has cratered to +0.35 per round. If she figures out the final-round riddle, Arkansas could be her launchpad.
Miyu Yamashita has turned putting into a weapon. No one on the LPGA has holed more putts from 10 to 20 feet this season, and she leads the entire tour in strokes gained on the greens. Seven straight top-20 finishes, five of them top-10s, prove she’s bringing consistency to match the flash.
Haeran Ryu, the 2023 champion here, has cooled off since her early-season win at the Black Desert Championship. Just one top-20 in her last 11 starts is a sobering stat, but she still ranks among the sharpest with mid-irons, sitting first in proximity from 150-175 yards. At a venue where approach shots decide everything, she’s a dark horse to rediscover her form.
Sei Young Kim has been knocking on the door all season. Seven top-10s, five straight top-15s, and no trophy to show for it. She ranks top-five in both scoring average and strokes gained since the Women’s Scottish Open. Her persistence is relentless, and Pinnacle might be the week persistence finally turns into payoff.
And then there are the newcomers who refuse to wait their turn. Rio Takeda leads the LPGA in strokes gained tee-to-green, strokes gained approach, and greens in regulation. Lottie Woad, a rookie by definition but not by demeanor, has three top-3 finishes in her last six starts and is gaining nearly three strokes per round. Both are fearless. Both have the games to take apart a course like Pinnacle.
Pinnacle Country Club: Birdieville, But With Bite
At 6,438 yards, par 71, Pinnacle Country Club isn’t the longest track on tour, but it demands nerve and nuance. Its wide scoring corridors tempt aggression, but its greens are full of subtle slopes that can turn birdie chances into three-putt bogeys.
History says this is a second-shot golf course. In fact, nearly half of strokes gained by top-10 finishers over the last two years came from approach play. Wedge play and mid-iron control separate winners from the rest.
Signature moments always seem to happen late here. The par-3 15th, with its island-style green, swallows nerves. The reachable par-5 18th has become a theater for heroics — from Suwannapura’s eagle to Lucy Li’s record-tying 60. It’s a course that doesn’t just reward birdies. It demands them.
Razorback Roars
This event isn’t just about the LPGA’s stars. It’s also Arkansas’ own. Razorback red will be out in force as homegrown heroes return: Maria Fassi, the power-hitting former NCAA champion; Brooke Matthews, another Arkansas alum; and Stacy Lewis, a two-time winner here and now mentor to the next wave.
Adding to the local flavor is María José Marín, a current Razorback playing on a sponsor exemption. For her, this week is about more than birdies — it’s about playing in front of family, friends, and a state that bleeds Razorback pride.
Questions Hanging in the Air
As Thursday approaches, the tournament feels less like a question of if there will be drama, and more a matter of who will supply it.
- Can Jasmine Suwannapura find one more moment of magic to defend her crown?
- Will Nelly Korda finally solve her Sunday mystery?
- Is Sei Young Kim destined to turn persistence into glory?
- Or will a fearless rookie — Takeda, Woad, Yamashita — rewrite the script entirely?
Some weeks are about grinding out pars. This isn’t one of them. The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship is a sprint, a test of nerves, and a stage for the spectacular. The players know it. The fans expect it. And the course seems to conspire to make it so.
When the final putt drops on Sunday, don’t be surprised if the echoes are loud again. Pinnacle has a way of saving its best theater for last.
Disclaimer: This article is an independent editorial preview for Fairway Queens and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the LPGA, Walmart, P&G, or Pinnacle Country Club. Statistics and historical details sourced from official LPGA communications and KPMG pre-tournament insights.
