Sarah Schmelzel and Minami Katsu Lead Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
Rogers, Ark. – Sarah Schmelzel staged a spectacular comeback, moving from the middle of the leaderboard to the lead in just five holes. With an impressive final stretch, which included four consecutive birdies and an eagle, Schmelzel signed a card of 63 strokes, eight under par, tying Minami Katsu at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Alison Lee also had an outstanding performance, finishing with a birdie and an eagle, one stroke behind the leaders. This performance is especially significant for Lee, who is participating in her third tournament since returning to competition after giving birth to her son at the end of April. The game at Pinnacle Country Club was characterized by low scores, which initially worried Schmelzel. After a first round of 34 strokes and a total of two under par, it seemed that he was not progressing. However, he anticipated the arrival of holes conducive to scoring points, with short shots towards the green and two par 5s.Schmelzel hit several precise approach shots and holed a long putt for birdie on the 17th hole. He culminated his performance with a second shot that left him in eagle position. After being two under par in the first 13 holes, he finished six under par in the last five. Katsu, for his part, distributed his eight birdies throughout a bogey-free round. Alison Lee’s performance was a surprise. Lee, who participated in the Solheim Cup while pregnant last year, returned to competition this month. Her best result was a tie for 53rd place at the Aramco Series event in Houston and she failed to make the cut at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Lee believes that starting on Friday, in one of the two 54-hole events scheduled on the LPGA, helped her prepare.“You should have opportunities on all those holes because you have pretty short clubs,” Schmelzel said. “I told my caddie on the 14th hole that I needed to start making birdies or I was going to get left behind today.”
Sarah Schmelzel
Although it was a good score, Lee is aware that it’s just one round in her return to the circuit as a mother. Her son accompanies her at the tournament. Lilia Vu, Nasa Hataoka, Carlota Ciganda, Leona Maguire, and Somi Lee also shot a 64. Nelly Korda, who has yet to win this season after a year with seven victories in 2024, couldn’t take advantage of the good scoring conditions. She signed a 69 and will start the second round closer to the cut line than the lead.“I would say that in the last few weeks, coming back and playing, the strongest part of my game is my approach shots, my irons. I’m usually good with my numbers,” Lee said. “I felt that in the last few weeks that was my weakness. I couldn’t do well. So going into this week, being a start on Friday, I had an extra day to prepare and practice more shots, and I feel like that really helped.”
Alison Lee
