01아칸소에서 이어지는 LPGA의 열기
LPGA 투어의 주요 일정 중 하나인 '월마트 NW 아칸소 챔피언십(Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G)'이 2026년 개최 소식을 전하며 골프 팬들의 이목을 집중시키고 있다. 이번 대회는 세계적인 유통 기업 월마트와 글로벌 생활용품 기업 P&G가 파트너십을 맺고 대회의 성공적인 운영을 지원한다.
이번 발표는 'ICYMI(In Case You Missed It)' 소식을 통해 공개되었으며, 2026년 시즌의 경쟁력을 미리 엿볼 수 있는 중요한 정보다. 대회는 아칸소 지역 사회와의 강력한 유대 관계를 바탕으로 단순한 골프 대회를 넘어 지역의 대표적인 축제로 자리매김할 것으로 기대된다.
2026년 대회에서도 세계 최정상급 골퍼들이 대거 출전하여 아칸소의 필드를 수놓을 예정이다. 주최 측은 앞으로 구체적인 경기 일정과 상금 규모 등 상세 정보를 순차적으로 발표할 계획이며, 팬들은 벌써부터 2026년 아칸소에서 펼쳐질 열띤 승부에 높은 관심을 보이고 있다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Yuna Nishimura of Japan celebrates with the trophy after winning the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G 2026 at Pinnacle Country Club on September 27, 2026 in Rogers, Arkansas.
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Yuna Nishimura Earns First LPGA Tour Title in Arkansas
Yuna Nishimura completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, closing with a 5-under 66 to finish at 21-under par and capture her maiden LPGA Tour title.
With the win, Nishimura becomes the LPGA Tour’s third Rolex First-Time Winner of 2026, joining Yana Wilson and Gina Kim, who won the Dow Championship. She is also the 17th unique champion on the LPGA Tour this season.
Nishimura, who opened the three-day event with back-to-back rounds of 63, finished five strokes clear of Aki Iwai, Chanettee Wannasaen and In Gee Chun, who tied for second at 16-under par. Holding a five-shot lead entering the final day, Nishimura admitted that managing the advantage presented its own mental hurdle.
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Three Tied for Second at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
Aki Iwai, Chanettee Wannasaen, and In Gee Chun each posted strong final-round scores Sunday to finish in a three-way tie for second place at 16-under 197 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. The three runners-up completed the 54-hole tournament at Pinnacle Country Club five strokes behind champion Yuna Nishimura.
Iwai fired a bogey-free 9-under 62 featuring nine birdies, matching her second-lowest career round. Her performance included hitting 11 of 13 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation while taking only 26 putts.
Wannasaen matched Iwai and Chun at 16-under after carding a final-round 7-under 64 that included eight birdies against one bogey. She tied for the overall lead in total birdies for the week with 20 and recorded a tournament-best 78 putts.
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.
Four holes-in-one at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&C generated an $80,000 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, pushing the LPGA Tour’s season-long charitable contribution to $400,000 for childhood cancer treatment and research.
The barrage of aces at Pinnacle Country Club included two in the second round and two in the final round:
aced the 137-yard, par-3 15th hole with a 9-iron during the second round.
sank her second-round ace on the par-3 sixth hole, hitting an 8-iron from 143 yards.
added to the tally in the final round, using a 9-iron on the 136-yard, par-3 15th hole.
highlighted her final round by holing out with a 7-iron on the 159-yard third hole.
Numbers to Know from the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
192 – Yuna Nishimura’s 54-hole winning total, setting her career-best 54-hole score and tying the tournament record set by Nasa Hataoka in 2018.
15 – Nishimura becomes the 15th player from Japan to become a Rolex First-Time Winner on the LPGA Tour since 2006.
3 – Nishimura is the third Rolex First-Time Winner on the LPGA Tour in 2026, joining Yana Wilson and Gina Kim. She is also the third player from Japan to win the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (Ai Miyazato, Nasa Hataoka).
5 – The winning margin in strokes by Nishimura over runners-up Aki Iwai, Chanettee Wannasaen, and In Gee Chun.
62 – Final-round score carded by Aki Iwai, her lowest round of the tournament and second-lowest of her LPGA Tour career. Her bogey-free round featured nine birdies, including five consecutive to open the back nine, vaulted her from T31 to T2.
78 – Total putts through 54 holes by Chanettee Wannasaen, which led the field.
20 – Total birdies made by Wannasaen over three rounds, tying for the most in the field.
3 – Total bogeys made by In Gee Chun all week, ranking in the top 10 for fewest bogeys alongside her 19 birdies and 83 putts en route to her season-best T2 finish.
2 – Career-first hole-in-ones recorded during the final round: Yealimi Noh (136 yards, 9-iron, No. 15) and Mao Saigo (159 yards, 7-iron, No. 3). Also the number of eagles Nishimura made in a single round to tie her personal record.
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