June 28-30
Pinnacle Country Club, Roger, Arkansas
$2,000,000
Round 2, Round 3
Inbee Park lit up the back nine at Pinnacle Country Club on Friday, going out in 29 with five consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 through 15 and birdieing No. 18. Park was on track to become the second female professional to break 60, joining Annika Sorenstam but fell short by three strokes, still making birdie on holes No. 1, 3 and 7 for a bogey-free first-round 62.
Inbee Park shoots 62 to take the lead @NWAChampionship.
โ LPGA (@LPGA) June 29, 2019
Round 1 Recap ==> https://t.co/PMxxob7dys pic.twitter.com/qCuKB0XqLE
โI think pretty much after the front 9, that 59 was on the watch,โ said Park, who is one stroke in the lead going into the second round. โBut I tried to make as many birdies as possible on the front nine, but it's playing tougher with a few tees moved back, and I had a couple of opportunities missed, but I think I still played really good out there today.โ
Park self-professes that her putter hasn't been hot in recent years but today's round showed otherwise โ she made just 12 putts on the back nine and 14 on the front.
โFor a couple of years or so I have been missing a lot of short putts that really I wasn't really getting used to that, and I don't want to get used to that at all,โ said Park who is currently ranked 39th on Tour in putts per round. โI was just trying to be patient and trying to wait for the day that's to come. I know I have a good feel on the putter, and it just wasn't going in the last couple of years or so. I was really waiting for this moment and hopefully I can keep this going.โ
The 30-year-old from Republic of Korea is searching for her 20th win on the LPGA Tour and she is $4,995 shy of reaching the $15 million mark in career earnings.
"I had no plan today, just wanted to have really good commitment and not worry about the outcome."
โ LPGA (@LPGA) June 28, 2019
Well... that "no plan" seemed to work for Ariya @Jutanugarn as she committed to a 7-under 64 in the opening round @NWAChampionship. pic.twitter.com/0xGP3PjxsP
Creamer makes a hot start
Thirty-two-year-old Paula Creamer carded an 8-under 63 on Friday, going out in 29 with six birdies and coming back on the front nine with four birdies and a bogey on the par-3 6th. Creamer is making her 10th start of the Walmart NWA Championship but it isn't her experience around Pinnacle Country Club that helped her make a hot start, it was the work of her team this season.
"I want to keep the pedal down. I know I'm playing well... just to feel that, trust myself, trust my instincts and believe I can do it."
โ LPGA (@LPGA) June 29, 2019
.@ThePCreamer following her opening 8-under 63 @NWAChampionship.
Watch ==> pic.twitter.com/3w7nkL1tCX
โMy team, we've been working hard on my golf, and it was awesome to go out today and give everybody a pat on the back and say, โokay we're heading in the right direction' today,โ said Creamer. โI've been working a lot on my putting and it seems to be paying off. My short game has been pretty good these last several months but driving the ball and giving myself the opportunities is something we have been really trying to clean up. It was a little bit messy there for a while and now I feel like we have it under control, so that's a big bonus for us.โ
Creamer has had a difficult season, missing six cuts in her 10 starts leading up to the week in Rogers, Ark. Her first-round 63 is three strokes better than her previous best at Pinnacle Country Club and the 10-time LPGA winner doesn't plan on letting up any steam heading into the weekend.
โI want to keep the pedal down. I know I'm playing wellโjust to feel that, trust myself, trust my instincts and believe I can do it,โ said Paula confidently. โI'll play early tomorrow so hopefully keep that momentum going.โ
Santiwiwatthanaphong pushes through pain to record career-best round
Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong hurt her shoulder during the practice round and the pain caused her to change her approach to the first round, relying on her putter because she could not hit as long. She then went out Friday morning and shot 10 birdies en route to an 8-under 63 at the Walmart NWA Championship, the best 18-hole score of her three-year LPGA Tour career.
โI just tried to hit, like, fairway, green, and my putter was working,โ said Santiwiwatthanaphong. โEven long putt I'm not as good to get in, it dropped. I was like โOkay, thank you.'โ
Santiwiwatthanaphong said the round boosted her confidence in her play, aided by her support system. โThe friends around me, they just say โkeep practicing.' Like last week I was practice round with Eun-Hee [Ji], and she was like, โYeah, you hit it pretty good,' and I said yeah, and she said keep practicing. And my family is just like, โWhatever happens, happens.'โ
Santiwiwatthanaphong said her strategy tomorrow is to try and play the same as today. โI can sleep in, because I like to sleep,โ she said. โJust get up and play. Try to enjoy it.โ
🔥 #LPGAHotRound 🔥
โ LPGA (@LPGA) June 28, 2019
Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong carded 10 birdies on her way to an 8-under 63 at the @NWAChampionship!@NEC #NECLPGAStats pic.twitter.com/0MEqutTJXJ
Razorback recap
Three Arkansas Razorbacks returned to the Pinnacle Golf Club and played for the first time at the Walmart NWA Championship as professionals: Maria Fassi , Alana Uriell and Kaylee Benton . After the first round, all three were ecstatic to be back in front of the community as they continue their pro journeys.
โIt's very exciting to come back home now as a professional. I mean, to see my people and to see everyone who supports the Razorbacks, it's very exciting and they're as happy as I am to be here,โ said Fassi.
โIt's been what I've been looking forward to since I got my card honestly. It's really great to have the support of my Razorbacks and be out here on a course that feels pretty normal for me,โ said Uriell.
โIt was really fun,โ said Benton. โIt was a little bit more similar to amateur golf than I thought it was going to be. I didn't really change my mind set the at all, had fun with Shauna [Taylor] on the bag and had a good time with my group. Overall, it was fun.โ
Gaby Lopez sits atop the Razorback leaderboard at -4 while Stacy Lewis is close behind -3. Fassi shot a first round 70, with Uriell and Benton finishing with a 71. Amateur Dylan Kim ended the first round 7-over par.
Ciganda takes advantage of morning start
As temperatures rose at the Pinnacle Golf Club, so did Carlota Ciganda 's birdie count. Ciganda sank three in her first three holes, then added six more during the first round to finish one stroke shy of leader Inbee Park at -8. The Spaniard only needed 26 putts to get it done, and hit 16 of 18 greens.
โI think in the mornings the greens are nicer because not many people have played, you can roll the ball better, so I think you have to shoot a low one in the morning. In the afternoon you have to be more patient, the wind picks up more,โ said Ciganda. โYou can shoot a low score here, lots of birdies, and we will see what happens tomorrow.โ
Ciganda's 63 tied her career-best 18-hole score, the third time she recorded this season. It is also the lowest she has gone after one round in her Walmart NW Arkansas Championship history.
Teeing off tomorrow at 12:59 p.m., Ciganda hopes to keep her putter hot during the second round. โIt will be tough to do something the same, because I made a lot of putts, and not every day you make lots of putts,โ said Ciganda. โWhat I'm going to try to do is I hit 16 greens today, so I think if I hit 16 greens tomorrow, I will have a chance on Sunday.โ
Quick Hits
- Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong led the field in birdies with 10
- Inbee Park 's first-round 62 is the lowest round of any player this season on a par-71 course
- 10 players went bogey-free - Inbee Park , Ariya Jutanugarn , Annie Park, Maria Torres, Katherine Perry, Aditi Ashok, Kendall Dye, Gulia Molinaro , In Gee Chun and Peiyun Chien
- 87 players recorded rounds under par
- There were five eagles from five different players - Maria Torres, Jin Young Ko, Sung Hyun Park, Sei Young Kim and Laetitia Beck
- Defending champion Nasa Hataoka fired a 6-under par 65 on Friday
- 20 players in the top 20 represent 12 different countries (Republic of Korea, Thailand, Spain, USA, Puerto Rico, Japan, India, South Africa, Chinese Taipei, Sweden, Ecuador, Germany)
Pos. |
Player | To Par |
R1 |
1 |
Inbee Park | -9 |
62 |
T2 |
Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong | -8 |
63 |
T2 |
Carlota Ciganda | -8 |
63 |
T2 |
Paula Creamer | -8 |
63 |
T5 |
Ariya Jutanugarn | -7 |
64 |
T5 |
Annie Park | -7 |
64 |
T5 |
Maria Torres | -7 |
64 |
T8 |
Nasa Hataoka | -6 |
65 |
T8 |
Jin Young Ko | -6 |
65 |
T8 |
Marina Alex | -6 |
65 |
T8 |
Jenny Shin | -6 |
65 |
T8 |
Katherine Perry | -6 |
65 |
T13 |
Linnea Strom | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Brittany Altomare | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Sung Hyun Park | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Daniela Darquea | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Lauren Kim | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Sandra Gal | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Aditi Ashok | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Ashleigh Buhai | -5 |
66 |
T13 |
Wei-Ling Hsu | -5 |
66 |
T22 |
Giulia Molinaro | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Pavarisa Yoktuan | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Lizette Salas | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Mariah Stackhouse | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Jacqui Concolino | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Jasmine Suwannapura | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Hyo Joo Kim | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Gaby Lopez | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Kendall Dye | -4 |
67 |
T22 |
Stephanie Meadow | -4 |
67 |
T32 |
P.K. Kongkraphan | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Peiyun Chien | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Stacy Lewis | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Minjee Lee | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Mel Reid | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Shanshan Feng | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Georgia Hall | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
So Yeon Ryu | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
In Gee Chun | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Mi Hyang Lee | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Anna Nordqvist | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Amy Yang | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Danielle Kang | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Cristie Kerr | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Sei Young Kim | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Mirim Lee | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Austin Ernst | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Isi Gabsa | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Mi Jung Hur | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Katherine Kirk | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Jennifer Song | -3 |
68 |
T32 |
Mo Martin | -3 |
68 |
T54 |
Kristen Gillman | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Jessica Korda | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Brooke M. Henderson | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Lydia Ko | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Pornanong Phatlum | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Laetitia Beck | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Cheyenne Knight | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Tiffany Chan | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Louise Ridderstrom | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Yu Liu | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Bronte Law | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Nicole Broch Larsen | -2 |
69 |
T54 |
Ryann O'Toole | -2 |
69 |
T67 |
Sarah Burnham | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Maria Fassi | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Wichanee Meechai | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Megan Khang | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Mina Harigae | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Charlotte Thomas | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Kim Kaufman | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Marissa Steen | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Jane Park | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Laura Gonzalez Escallon | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Clariss Guce | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Karine Icher | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Sarah Kemp | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Jeong Eun Lee | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Dottie Ardina | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Azahara Munoz | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Celine Boutier | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Angela Stanford | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Hee Young Park | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Haru Nomura | -1 |
70 |
T67 |
Chella Choi | -1 |
70 |
T88 |
Luna Sobron Galmes | E |
71 |
T88 |
Alana Uriell | E |
71 |
T88 |
Jodi Ewart Shadoff | E |
71 |
T88 |
Morgan Pressel | E |
71 |
T88 |
Kaylee Benton | E |
71 |
T88 |
Xiyu Lin | E |
71 |
T88 |
Dani Holmqvist | E |
71 |
T88 |
Sarah Schmelzel | E |
71 |
T88 |
Pajaree Anannarukarn | E |
71 |
T88 |
Ayako Uehara | E |
71 |
T88 |
Moriya Jutanugarn | E |
71 |
T88 |
Angel Yin | E |
71 |
T88 |
Anne van Dam | E |
71 |
T101 |
Youngin Chun | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Elizabeth Szokol | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Lauren Stephenson | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
In-Kyung Kim | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Ally McDonald | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Brittany Lang | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Lindsey Weaver | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Tiffany Joh | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Jing Yan | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Maddie McCrary | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Haeji Kang | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Jaclyn Lee | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Eun-Hee Ji | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Na Yeon Choi | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Juli Inkster | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Emma Talley | 1 |
72 |
T101 |
Mariajo Uribe | 1 |
72 |
T118 |
Dori Carter | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Natalie Gulbis | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Celine Herbin | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Becca Huffer | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Cheyenne Woods | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Lee-Anne Pace | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Lindy Duncan | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Alison Lee | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Robyn Choi | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Brittany Marchand | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Louise Stahle | 2 |
73 |
T118 |
Brianna Do | 2 |
73 |
T131 |
Christina Kim | 3 |
74 |
T131 |
Charley Hull | 3 |
74 |
T131 |
Kris Tamulis | 3 |
74 |
T131 |
Lilia Vu | 3 |
74 |
T131 |
Pernilla Lindberg | 3 |
74 |
T131 |
Gemma Dryburgh | 3 |
74 |
T131 |
Karen Chung | 3 |
74 |
T131 |
Sakura Yokomine | 3 |
74 |
139 |
Gerina Piller | 4 |
75 |
T140 |
Dylan Kim (a) | 5 |
76 |
T140 |
Muni He | 5 |
76 |
T142 |
Jenny Haglund | 6 |
77 |
T142 |
Ruixin Liu | 6 |
77 |
144 |
Suzuka Yamaguchi | 7 |
78 |