Japanese golfer Yuna Nishimura seized control of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship by delivering a second consecutive round of 63, building a commanding five-stroke cushion at 16 under par. Entering Sunday’s final round, her nearest competitors are Auston Kim, Mary Liu, and Michelle Zhang. A heavily congested pack sits one shot further back at 10 under, featuring top players such as Charley Hull, Lottie Woad, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff.
During Saturday’s action, Ewart Shadoff opened with a trio of birdies before signing for a second-round 66, a matching score achieved by Woad through a six-birdie, single-bogey effort. Meanwhile, Hull mounted her charge with an error-free 67 to maintain realistic contention. Further down the leaderboard, former AIG Women’s Open winner Miyu Yamashita joined recent European Solheim Cup victor Julia Lopez Ramirez at nine under par. Conversely, high-profile competitors including Leona Maguire and Mimi Rhodes failed to survive the weekend cutline.
Despite Nishimura’s dominance, the true headline of the afternoon belonged to Lauren Coughlin, who achieved unprecedented history at Pinnacle Country Club. Tearing through her opening stretch after teeing off on the 10th hole, the American rattled off nine straight birdies to record a 26—the lowest half-round score ever registered in LPGA Tour history. She became the first golfer in the tour’s existence to commence a round with nine gains in a row.
Her phenomenal run
Leave a Reply