01아칸소에서 펼쳐진 접전, 전인지·이와이·완나센 공동 2위 합류
미국 아칸소주에서 열린 LPGA 투어 대회에서 한국의 전인지가 치열한 상위권 경쟁 끝에 준우승을 차지했다.
전인지는 대회 마지막까지 탄탄한 경기력을 유지하며 일본의 이와이 아키, 태국의 샤네티 완나센과 함께 나란히 리더보드 공동 2위 자리에 이름을 올렸다.
세 선수는 아칸소 팬들의 열띤 응원 속에서 우승 타수를 바짝 추격하며 인상적인 경기력을 선보였으며, 이번 준우승으로 남은 시즌 기대감을 한층 높였다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Aki Iwai of Japan lines up a putt on the eighth green during the final round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G 2026 at Pinnacle Country Club on September 27, 2026 in Rogers, Arkansas.
Jennifer Meyer is the Manager of Digital Operations. Jennifer has worked with the LPGA for more than a decade, working with the LPGA and Epson Tours to manage, develop, maintain, and update website content.
A flurry of final-round red numbers fell just short on Sunday at Pinnacle Country Club, as Aki Iwai, Chanettee Wannasaen, and Chun In-gee each posted low scores to finish in a three-way tie for second place at 16-under 197 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. All three players finished five shots behind tournament champion Yuna Nishimura.
Iwai led the final-day charge with the lowest score of the day, firing a bogey-free, 9-under 62 backed by nine birdies to vault up the leaderboard after beginning the day tied for 31st.
The 62 marks her lowest round of the weekend and her second-lowest career round, as well as her best 18-hole score since the 2025 Honda LPGA Thailand. Finishing the 54-hole tournament with rounds of 66, 69, and 62, Iwai leaned on laser-like precision—hitting 11 of 13 fairways, 17 of 18 greens in regulation, and needing just 26 putts. Her day featured a blistering streak of five consecutive birdies to start her back nine, an aggressive stretch sparked by her mindset entering the round.
"Today I was thinking it's going to be low every player," Iwai said. "That's why I have to go. I need more aggressive and that's why... today was a solid day."
The runner-up finish marks Iwai's fifth top-10 of a consistent season in which she has made 17 cuts in 22 starts.
Wannasaen joined Iwai and Chun at 16-under after carding a final-round 7-under 64, highlighted by eight birdies against a single bogey. She tied for the most birdies in the field for the week with 20, and her 78 putts through 54 holes were the fewest of any player. The strong closing round capped a resilient week for Wannasaen, who bounced back after missing the cut in her previous two starts at the FM Championship and CPKC Women's Open, capitalizing on soft conditions to play aggressively off the tee and on the greens.
"Actually this week I play really good," Wannasaen said. "Last year I think I might play like really good at this course because green is pretty soft. Like you can play like aggressive. I putt really good this week."
The result gives Wannasaen her third top-10 finish of the season across 20 starts, adding to previous top-10s at the Standard Portland Classic (T2), ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open (7th), and the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern (T9).
Completing the trio, Chun shot 65 in her second consecutive round to secure her best finish of the season, a tie for second. The performance marks her first runner-up finish since the 2022 AIG Women’s Open. Chun dominated statistical categories across the event, ranking in the top 10 in birdies (19), fewest bogeys (three), and fewest putts (eight).
Chun has made nine cuts in 13 starts with three top 10 finishes, including the recent runner-up this week at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.