2020 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Aug 28 - 30

[Argonne69]

 

Race to the CME Globe: 500 Points

 

Format: 54 holes

 

Purse: $2,300,000

 

Location: Pinnacle Country Club, Rogers, AR

 

Par: 71

 

Yardage: 6331

 

History: This is the 14th year for the event. In 2019, Sung Hyun Park captured her 7th career victory after firing a 5-under 66 to win by one stroke over a trio of players - Danielle Kang, Hyo Joo Kim, and Inbee Park. The three shot identical 65s on Sunday, and had to wait until Park made her birdie putt on the 18th to find out she had the outright lead.

 

Coverage:

 

Aug 28: The Golf Channel 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm (ET)

Aug 29: The Golf Channel 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm (ET)

Aug 30: The Golf Channel 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm (ET)

 

 

[Argonne69]

 

Sigh. It's going to be a letdown after the 22 hours of coverage this past week. Oh, and it's a 54 hole shootout. 'Better than no golf, though. 

 

It's going to be hot and humid, no surprise. Rain is forecast for the weekend, so I wouldn't be surprised if tee times were moved up, and split tees were used.

 

A handful of Korean players will be making the trip to the U.S., but Jin Young is still out.

 

My pick this week is Inbee. She won the event in '13, and looked solid last week. Minjee, Lydia, and Danielle should also be in the mix, but they all may be running out of steam in their 5th start in five weeks. 

 

[18majors]

 LPGA flew from Glasgow to Amsterdam to Atlanta and finally Northwest Arkansas National Airport; only the fittest survive.

 

We're two weeks from ANA Inspiration and there're still 14-17 slots to be filled this week at Walmart.

The Top-20 who haven't otherwise qualified at ANA will be invited to play provided they're inside Top-80 of official money list.

I don't think ANA will take all 20 if there're  20 players inside Top-80.  The entry list already had 91 players and the field is usually 108 or less.

 

Players like Andrea Lee, Perrine Delacour, Lindsey Weaver,  Yui Kawamoto, Emma Talley, Cristie Kerr and Leona Maguire are pretty safe.  Kelly Tan, Christina Kim, Klara Spillkova, Linnea Storm, Yealimi Noh,  Elizabeth Szokol and Dana Finkelstein are in good shape, but any money they can earn this week will help.

The thing is they're competing with each other, and nobody knows what the outcome will be.

 

It's a complete different course from what they played the last two weeks,  curious whether we'll see a complete different set of contending group.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by 18majors

[Stooch]

I'm gonna go with Jasmine Suwannapura this week, I think she'll be hungry and the loss wasn't deflating but the 2 early bogeys on the back 9 will leave a bad taste in her mouth and motivate her this week IMO.  It's dangerous for the top players cause everyone outside the Top 100 in rankings will believe they have a shot this week and will be gunning for their Cinderella story ?

[Newinup]

I'll go with Bianca, Minjee Lee and SYK in that order ?

[18majors]

2 minutes ago, Newinup said:

I'll go with Bianca, Minjee Lee and SYK in that order ?

 

Bianca Pagdanganan is a great choice; she'll go -22 on par 5 alone.

[18majors]

Kim Se-young and Choi Na-yeon return to the LPGA with the Arkansas Championship.. Park Sung-hyun leaves Korea for ANA Inspiration

 

World rankings No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25), Kim Hyo-joo (9th), 11th place Lee Jeong-eun (24) and So Yeon Ryu are still contemplating.

[ChronicSlicer]

I gotta go with Minjee. I like top 10's from Brittany A, Marina, Stacy, Lydia,and Moriya. How about Andrea Lee for a underdog W...her stats are pretty impressive..I see a bright future ahead. 

 

 

[Titleist_PT23]

28 minutes ago, 18majors said:

Kim Se-young and Choi Na-yeon return to the LPGA with the Arkansas Championship.. Park Sung-hyun leaves Korea for ANA Inspiration

 

World rankings No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25), Kim Hyo-joo (9th), 11th place Lee Jeong-eun (24) and So Yeon Ryu are still contemplating.

I'm surprised Ryu is not playing.  Know she wanted to spend more time in Korea, but the game seems good and she needs to play if want to qualify Olympics.  Maybe she thinks it's a long shot anyways and doesn't want to be stuck in USA for 4 months (although she is more Westernized than most).

[18majors]

7 minutes ago, agolf1 said:

I'm surprised Ryu is not playing.  Know she wanted to spend more time in Korea, but the game seems good and she needs to play if want to qualify Olympics.  Maybe she thinks it's a long shot anyways and doesn't want to be stuck in USA for 4 months (although she is more Westernized than most).

 

 

Don't worry, she'll be here soon!

 

By the way, So Yeon only played two JLPGA events.  As you know she won Korean Women's Open, she's T15 (same with Inbee Park) at the other event.

Edited August 24, 2020 by 18majors

[ThinkingPlus]

Decent chance of a rain out on Friday I would think.  Laura is predicted to barrel right through Arkansas on Friday.

[18majors]

15 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Decent chance of a rain out on Friday I would think.  Laura is predicted to barrel right through Arkansas on Friday.

 

 

It may change, but forecast looks OK right now.

 

Arkansas is inland, it's separated from the Gulf Coast by the state of Louisiana.  Also, Rogers is located in the northwest, almost next to Missouri. 

[ThinkingPlus]

12 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

It may change, but forecast looks OK right now.

 

Arkansas is inland, it's separated from the Gulf Coast by the state of Louisiana.  Also, Rogers is located in the northwest, almost next to Missouri. 

[18majors]

@ThinkingPlus

 

I know it looks bad!

 

But if forecast is correct, Laura may die down enough when it hit northwest Arkansas.

[18majors]

Great news, it appears the purse increase to $2,300,000 is permanent.

 

WALMART NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY P&G ANNOUNCES PURSE INCREASE FOR 2020 EVENT

 

"With the increased prize fund, the #NWAChampionship joins the top three highest paying non-major events on the 2020 schedule, falling only behind the CME Group Tour Championship and CP Women’s Open. The champion of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G will now receive a $345,000 payout, up $45,000 from 2019."

 

 

[postfold]

That's great news and a good sign that the sponsors are committed.  Seems a little odd that the event is a 54 holer, but I would imagine in non-corona times it's a big Pro-Am week.

[18majors]

1 hour ago, postfold said:

That's great news and a good sign that the sponsors are committed.  Seems a little odd that the event is a 54 holer, but I would imagine in non-corona times it's a big Pro-Am week.

 

 

Even COVID-19 can't stop pro-am at Walmart.

 

There're 5 pro-am sessions scheduled this week, one today, two each Wednesday and Thursday.

[18majors]

Hole yardage

 

1. Par 4, 320 yards       2. 5, 549       3. 3, 166       4. 4, 401       5. 4, 348       6. 3, 180       7. 5, 520       8. 4, 404       9. 4, 351

10. 4, 364                     11. 3,190     12. 4, 394     13. 4, 413     14. 5, 549     15. 3, 150     16. 4, 393     17. 3, 151     18. 5, 488

 

Edited August 29, 2020 by 18majors

[Newinup]

10 minutes ago, 18majors said:

Hole yardage

 

1. Par 4, 320 yards       2. 5, 549       3. 3, 166       4. 4, 401       5. 4, 348       6. 3, 180       7. 5, 520       8. 4,404        9. 4, 351

10. 4, 364                     11. 3,190     12. 4, 394     13. 4, 413     14. 5, 549     15. 3, 150     16. 4,393     17. 3, 151     18. 5, 488

 

4 par-5s, i wonder how many are truly "gettable" -- 2-3?

[18majors]

1 minute ago, Newinup said:

4 par-5s, i wonder how many are truly "gettable" -- 2-3?

 

Only #18 is gettable for most players; but all four are gettable for Bianca.

 

The fairways are not stingy at Pinnacle Country Club.  Once Bianca put her 320 yards drives on the fairways, the rest is history.

[Newinup]

3 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

Only #18 is gettable for most players; but all four are gettable for Bianca.

 

The fairways are not stingy at Pinnacle Country Club.  Once Bianca put her 320 yards drives on the fairways, the rest is history.

If you're serious about this, well, let's see if she can be accurate these next 2 days ?   (eg Fri/Sat - she needs to make the cut first)

Edited August 25, 2020 by Newinup

[PhilWhitUK]

I would love to see Klara Spilkova make a break through.  I love her swing.  Or Leona Maguire.  Feel she hasn’t yet got to the level in the pro game that her amateur record suggested she might get to.

[18majors]

41 minutes ago, PhilWhitUK said:

I would love to see Klara Spilkova make a break through.  I love her swing.  Or Leona Maguire.  Feel she hasn’t yet got to the level in the pro game that her amateur record suggested she might get to.

 

 

Klara isn't in the field.

 

 

[Mick Douglas]

1 hour ago, 18majors said:

 

 

Klara isn't in the field.

 

 

Klara is playing an event at home this week just outside Prague on the LET.

[Tailgater]

I will take Minji Lee, Danielle Kang, and Nelly Korda.  

[North Texas]

20 hours ago, 18majors said:

Hole yardage

 

1. Par 4, 320 yards       2. 5, 549       3. 3, 166       4. 4, 401       5. 4, 348       6. 3, 180       7. 5, 520       8. 4, 404       9. 4, 351

10. 4, 364                     11. 3,190     12. 4, 394     13. 4, 413     14. 5, 549     15. 3, 150     16. 4,393     17. 3, 151     18. 5, 488

 

 

Geez, you really going to make me have to add all that up to see what the total yardage is? Don't you know how lazy I am ?

[pmcuk]

Is Sophia Popov in the field? As I understood from the commentary on the Open she can now compete on the LPGA? Is this with immediate effect? 

 

Update - just read she can start at Cambia on 17th September. I also didn't know she had Lyme's disease, like Sandra Gal. Something of an occupational hazard for golfers. 

Edited August 26, 2020 by pmcuk

[postfold]

I'm going all KLPGA this week, Sei Young Kim to win (great to have her back in action), Amy Yang to place and In Gee to show.

[18majors]

9 minutes ago, postfold said:

I'm going all KLPGA this week, Sei Young Kim to win (great to have her back in action), Amy Yang to place and In Gee to show.

 

 

Even though Amy Yang was born in Korea and lived there until she's 15, she's never a KLPGA member.

 

She joined LPGA in 2008 after a short stint with LET.

[PhilWhitUK]

On 8/25/2020 at 9:12 PM, 18majors said:

 

 

Klara isn't in the field.

 

 

Darn I had it in my head she was originally down to play this.  Next time then!