- Yuna Nishimura shot a second straight 63 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
- Her 126 equals the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record.
- Auston Kim and Mary Liu share second place with Michelle Zhang.
Yuna Nishimura shot a second straight 8-under 63 at Pinnacle Country Club on Saturday to take a five-shot lead into the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship’s final round.
At 16-under 126, the 26-year-old from Japan matched the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record, set by Se Yeon Ryu in 2017 and equalled by Anna Nordqvist in 2020. Auston Kim and Mary Liu are tied for second place at 11-under, with LPGA Tour rookie Michelle Zhang alongside them.
Nishimura’s opening 63 included an eagle at the 18th and gave her a one-shot lead. She made nine birdies and one bogey on Saturday, hitting 11 of 13 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation. After finding every green on Friday, she has missed only two through 36 holes.
“My short irons were working really well, so I was able to put it close to the pin and kind of all worked out for me,” Nishimura said.
“Things are going well, so I really don’t want to change anything. So it’s going to be the same thing again tomorrow, but I would like to go for 20-under.”
She has made a field-leading 15 birdies across the two rounds. Nishimura tied for third at Pinnacle in 2023, but has only made six cuts in 15 LPGA Tour starts this season. She is seeking her first victory on the tour.
Three challengers shoot 64s
Kim reached 11-under with a bogey-free 64, birdieing both the 17th and 18th to join the group in second. She has four top-10 finishes this season and made her Solheim Cup debut for the United States earlier this month.
“”It’s always tough, but I just tried to keep it light and focus on what I wanted,” Kim said. “Golf is a lot of fun when you’re trying to have fun and enjoy it. That’s what I wanted to do this week, especially after playing last week. I know I’m not at 100%, but all I want to do is enjoy and have fun, and everything takes care of itself.”
“I had the time of my life with all the girls last week, and it was probably the most I’ve enjoyed playing golf and competing and just being a competitor out there,” Kim said. “It’s really important to remind myself that I earned my spot on that team in the span of a year with all the points that I gathered from good finishes and good golf. It’s just a matter of staying patient.”
Liu made eight birdies and one bogey in her 64, needing 24 putts. It was the lowest round of her LPGA Tour career. Zhang also made eight birdies and one bogey, hitting 12 of 13 fairways on her way to her own career-best LPGA round. All three players began Saturday tied for 26th.
Zhang earned her 2026 tour card through the Epson Tour and has made four cuts in 10 starts as a rookie. She is seeking a stronger position in the Race to the CME Globe standings ahead of the Asia swing.
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| Pos. | Player | To Par | R1 | R2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuna Nishimura | -16 | 63 | 63 | 126 |
| T2 | Michelle Zhang | -11 | 67 | 64 | 131 |
| T2 | Mary Liu | -11 | 67 | 64 | 131 |
| T2 | Auston Kim | -11 | 67 | 64 | 131 |
| T5 | Yuri Yoshida | -10 | 67 | 65 | 132 |
| T5 | In Gee Chun | -10 | 67 | 65 | 132 |
| T5 | Jodi Ewart Shadoff | -10 | 66 | 66 | 132 |
| T5 | A Lim Kim | -10 | 66 | 66 | 132 |
| T5 | Lottie Woad | -10 | 66 | 66 | 132 |
| T5 | Sophia Schubert | -10 | 65 | 67 | 132 |
| T5 | Jin Hee Im | -10 | 65 | 67 | 132 |
| T5 | Charley Hull | -10 | 65 | 67 | 132 |
| T5 | Yu Liu | -10 | 64 | 68 | 132 |
| T14 | Miyu Yamashita | -9 | 70 | 63 | 133 |
| T14 | Julia López Ramirez | -9 | 69 | 64 | 133 |
| T14 | Pajaree Anannarukarn | -9 | 66 | 67 | 133 |
| T14 | Manon De Roey | -9 | 66 | 67 | 133 |
| T14 | Amy Yang | -9 | 65 | 68 | 133 |
| T14 | Chanettee Wannasaen | -9 | 65 | 68 | 133 |
| T14 | Lizette Salas | -9 | 65 | 68 | 133 |
| T21 | Lauren Coughlin | -8 | 73 | 61 | 134 |
| T21 | Briana Chacon | -8 | 69 | 65 | 134 |
| T21 | Gurleen Kaur | -8 | 69 | 65 | 134 |
| T21 | Dewi Weber | -8 | 68 | 66 | 134 |
| T21 | Andrea Lee | -8 | 67 | 67 | 134 |
| T21 | Jenny Bae | -8 | 66 | 68 | 134 |
| T21 | Mirabel Ting | -8 | 66 | 68 | 134 |
| T21 | Maude-Aimee LeBlanc | -8 | 66 | 68 | 134 |
| T21 | Juniper Jang | -8 | 65 | 69 | 134 |
| T21 | Celine Boutier | -8 | 65 | 69 | 134 |
| T31 | Chizzy Iwai | -7 | 70 | 65 | 135 |
| T31 | Brooke Matthews | -7 | 69 | 66 | 135 |
| T31 | Ana Belac | -7 | 68 | 67 | 135 |
| T31 | Soo Bin Joo | -7 | 68 | 67 | 135 |
| T31 | Gemma Dryburgh | -7 | 68 | 67 | 135 |
| T31 | Youmin Hwang | -7 | 68 | 67 | 135 |
| T31 | Gaby López | -7 | 66 | 69 | 135 |
| T31 | Aki Iwai | -7 | 66 | 69 | 135 |
| T31 | Frida Kinhult | -7 | 65 | 70 | 135 |
| T40 | Morgane Metraux | -6 | 71 | 65 | 136 |
| T40 | Mao Saigo | -6 | 69 | 67 | 136 |
| T40 | Polly Mack | -6 | 68 | 68 | 136 |
| T40 | Mi Hyang Lee | -6 | 68 | 68 | 136 |
| T40 | Reagan Zibilski | -6 | 67 | 69 | 136 |
| T40 | Chiara Tamburlini | -6 | 67 | 69 | 136 |
| T40 | Rio Takeda | -6 | 66 | 70 | 136 |
| T40 | Hinako Shibuno | -6 | 66 | 70 | 136 |
| T48 | Yealimi Noh | -5 | 70 | 67 | 137 |
| T48 | Nataliya Guseva | -5 | 69 | 68 | 137 |
| T48 | Laney Frye | -5 | 69 | 68 | 137 |
| T48 | Jennifer Chang | -5 | 68 | 69 | 137 |
| T48 | Linnea Strom | -5 | 68 | 69 | 137 |
| T48 | Lauren Tenuta | -5 | 67 | 70 | 137 |
| T48 | Nasa Hataoka | -5 | 67 | 70 | 137 |
| T48 | Jiwon Jeon | -5 | 67 | 70 | 137 |
| T48 | Ashleigh Buhai | -5 | 66 | 71 | 137 |
| T57 | Somi Lee | -4 | 71 | 67 | 138 |
| T57 | Gina Kim | -4 | 70 | 68 | 138 |
| T57 | Lauren Walsh | -4 | 70 | 68 | 138 |
| T57 | Daniela Darquea | -4 | 69 | 69 | 138 |
| T57 | Erika Hara | -4 | 69 | 69 | 138 |
| T57 | Paula Reto | -4 | 69 | 69 | 138 |
| T57 | Linn Grant | -4 | 69 | 69 | 138 |
| T57 | Celine Borge | -4 | 69 | 69 | 138 |
| T57 | Brianna Do | -4 | 68 | 70 | 138 |
| T57 | Carlota Ciganda | -4 | 68 | 70 | 138 |
| T57 | Yuka Saso | -4 | 68 | 70 | 138 |
| T57 | Robyn Choi | -4 | 67 | 71 | 138 |
| T57 | Cassie Porter | -4 | 67 | 71 | 138 |
| T57 | Caley McGinty | -4 | 66 | 72 | 138 |
| CUT | Chella Choi | -3 | 73 | 66 | 139 |
| CUT | Perrine Delacour | -3 | 71 | 68 | 139 |
| CUT | Laetitia Beck | -3 | 71 | 68 | 139 |
| CUT | Madison Young | -3 | 70 | 69 | 139 |
| CUT | Carolina Chacarra | -3 | 70 | 69 | 139 |
| CUT | Jeongeun Lee6 | -3 | 69 | 70 | 139 |
| CUT | Pornanong Phatlum | -3 | 69 | 70 | 139 |
| CUT | Natasha Oon | -3 | 68 | 71 | 139 |
| CUT | Mimi Rhodes | -3 | 67 | 72 | 139 |
| CUT | Emily Kristine Pedersen | -2 | 71 | 69 | 140 |
| CUT | Jin Young Ko | -2 | 71 | 69 | 140 |
| CUT | Yahui Zhang | -2 | 70 | 70 | 140 |
| CUT | Sandra Gal | -2 | 69 | 71 | 140 |
| CUT | Riley Smyth | -2 | 69 | 71 | 140 |
| CUT | Minami Katsu | -2 | 69 | 71 | 140 |
| CUT | Melanie Green | -2 | 69 | 71 | 140 |
| CUT | Sofia Garcia | -2 | 67 | 73 | 140 |
| CUT | Leah John | -2 | 67 | 73 | 140 |
| CUT | Carla Tejedo Mulet | -1 | 72 | 69 | 141 |
| CUT | Benedetta Moresco | -1 | 72 | 69 | 141 |
| CUT | Gigi Stoll | -1 | 72 | 69 | 141 |
| CUT | Carolina Melgrati | -1 | 71 | 70 | 141 |
| CUT | Ina Yoon | -1 | 71 | 70 | 141 |
| CUT | Lucy Li | -1 | 71 | 70 | 141 |
| CUT | Maria Fassi | -1 | 71 | 70 | 141 |
| CUT | Pauline Roussin-Bouchard | -1 | 70 | 71 | 141 |
| CUT | Gabriela Ruffels | -1 | 70 | 71 | 141 |
| CUT | Suvichaya Vinijchaitham | -1 | 70 | 71 | 141 |
| CUT | Jessica Porvasnik | -1 | 69 | 72 | 141 |
| CUT | Saki Baba | -1 | 69 | 72 | 141 |
| CUT | Alexa Pano | -1 | 68 | 73 | 141 |
| CUT | Kumkang Park | -1 | 68 | 73 | 141 |
| CUT | Maria José Marin (a) | Par | 74 | 68 | 142 |
| CUT | Amanda Doherty | Par | 73 | 69 | 142 |
| CUT | Celine Herbin-Marshall | Par | 72 | 70 | 142 |
| CUT | Patty Tavatanakit | Par | 72 | 70 | 142 |
| CUT | Lexi Thompson | Par | 72 | 70 | 142 |
| CUT | Narin An | Par | 71 | 71 | 142 |
| CUT | Jenny Shin | Par | 71 | 71 | 142 |
| CUT | Lilia Vu | Par | 71 | 71 | 142 |
| CUT | Dongeun Lee | Par | 71 | 71 | 142 |
| CUT | Kate Smith-Stroh | Par | 70 | 72 | 142 |
| CUT | Jennifer Kupcho | Par | 70 | 72 | 142 |
| CUT | Ingrid Lindblad | Par | 70 | 72 | 142 |
| CUT | Christina Kim | Par | 70 | 72 | 142 |
| CUT | Stephanie Meadow | Par | 69 | 73 | 142 |
| CUT | Mina Kreiter | Par | 67 | 75 | 142 |
| CUT | Jing Yan | +1 | 74 | 69 | 143 |
| CUT | Anne Chen | +1 | 73 | 70 | 143 |
| CUT | Nicole Broch Estrup | +1 | 72 | 71 | 143 |
| CUT | Danielle Kang | +1 | 71 | 72 | 143 |
| CUT | Minji Kang | +1 | 70 | 73 | 143 |
| CUT | Stephanie Kyriacou | +1 | 70 | 73 | 143 |
| CUT | Camille Boyd | +1 | 69 | 74 | 143 |
| CUT | Helen Briem | +2 | 76 | 68 | 144 |
| CUT | Emma McMyler | +2 | 76 | 68 | 144 |
| CUT | Jeongeun Lee5 | +2 | 76 | 68 | 144 |
| CUT | Hailee Cooper | +2 | 74 | 70 | 144 |
| CUT | Muni He | +2 | 71 | 73 | 144 |
| CUT | Angel Yin | +2 | 71 | 73 | 144 |
| CUT | Yana Wilson | +2 | 69 | 75 | 144 |
| CUT | Isi Gabsa | +3 | 77 | 68 | 145 |
| CUT | Kiara Romero | +3 | 73 | 72 | 145 |
| CUT | Siyun Liu | +3 | 72 | 73 | 145 |
| CUT | Leona Maguire | +3 | 70 | 75 | 145 |
| CUT | Cocona Sakurai | +3 | 70 | 75 | 145 |
| CUT | Adela Cernousek | +4 | 73 | 73 | 146 |
| CUT | Dani Holmqvist | +4 | 72 | 74 | 146 |
| CUT | Megan Khang | +5 | 71 | 76 | 147 |
| CUT | Natalie Gulbis | +7 | 74 | 75 | 149 |
| CUT | Savannah Grewal | +7 | 74 | 75 | 149 |
| CUT | Hira Naveed | +8 | 75 | 75 | 150 |
| CUT | Matilda Castren | +17 | 81 | 78 | 159 |
| W/D | Hye-Jin Choi | - | 23 | - | 23 |
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.