Yuna Nishimura Wins First LPGA Tour Title by Five Strokes in Arkansas

• Yuna Nishimura won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at 21-under.
• She closed with a 5-under 66 to win by five strokes and claim her first LPGA Tour title.
• Aki Iwai shot a final-round 9-under 62 to share second at 16-under.

Yuna Nishimura completed a wire-to-wire victory at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Sunday, closing with a 5-under 66 to win her first LPGA Tour title by five strokes.

At 21-under 192 at Pinnacle Country Club, Nishimura finished clear of Aki Iwai, whose 9-under 62 earned her a share of second place at 16-under. Chanettee Wannasaen shot 64 and In Gee Chun 65 to join Iwai at 197.

Nishimura’s consecutive opening 63s equalled the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record and gave her a five-shot lead going into Sunday. She had made six cuts in 15 LPGA Tour starts before this week, and had tied for third at Pinnacle in 2023.

“I missed a lot of cuts this year, so for me to win this tournament is a surprise, but it’s a dream come true.”

An Eagle at the 14th

Nishimura made five birdies and two bogeys in the final round. Her eagle at the par-5 14th helped keep the chasing players five strokes behind.

“I was kind of debating on the distance, but I told myself to go aggressive until the very end and I went for it,” she said. “I knew it was a hole I had to be aggressive on. It wasn’t an option to play up, so I told myself to be aggressive from the start and that’s what I followed all the way through.”

Iwai Leads the Chase

Iwai made nine birdies, including five in a row, on her way to 62. She hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and took 26 putts. Asked whether five straight birdies was her longest run, she smiled. “No. I had maybe seven, eight in Japan.”

Wannasaen made eight birdies and one bogey in her 64. Chun closed with a 65 in her first start back after an extended break.

Miyazato’s Name on the Trophy

Nishimura became the LPGA Tour’s third Rolex First-Time Winner of 2026 and the 24th different winner from Japan. She is the third Japanese player to win this event, following Ai Miyazato in 2012 and Nasa Hataoka in 2018 and 2021.

“She is the reason I play golf,” Nishimura said of Miyazato. “She’s somebody I look up to, and when I was struggling I would call her and she would be my shoulder to lean on, so I can’t wait to call her and tell her that I won.”

Related: United States Overturn Three-Point Deficit to Win 11th Straight Presidents Cup

The Internationals began Sunday ahead at Medinah, but a 9½-2½ singles session turned the contest. Jackson Koivun recovered from two down before Jacob Bridgeman secured the winning point.

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