Sarah Schmelzel and Minami Katsu Lead the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
Rogers, Ark. – Sarah Schmelzel staged an impressive comeback, moving from the middle of the pack to the lead in just five holes on Friday. With four consecutive birdies and an eagle, she closed with a score of 63 strokes, eight under par, tying Minami Katsu at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Alison Lee also had a strong finish, with a birdie and an eagle, finishing one stroke behind the leaders. This result is especially significant for Lee, who is in her third tournament after giving birth to her son at the end of April. The day at Pinnacle Country Club was characterized by low scores, which initially worried Schmelzel. After the first 13 holes, she was two under par and seemed stagnant. However, she anticipated the arrival of holes conducive to scoring, with short shots to the green and two par 5s.Schmelzel managed to get several wedges close and sank a long putt for birdie on the 17th hole. He culminated his performance with a second shot that gave him the opportunity for an eagle. After 13 holes, he was two under par, but in the last five holes he accumulated six under par. Katsu, for his part, distributed his eight birdies throughout a bogey-free round. Lee’s performance was a surprise. She competed in the Solheim Cup while pregnant last year. She returned to competition earlier this month, tying for 53rd place at the Aramco Series event in Houston, a Ladies European Tour event, and failed to make the cut last week at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Lee believes that starting on Friday, being 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 commented. “I told my caddie on the way to the 14th green that I needed to start making birdies or I was going to get left behind today.”
Sarah Schmelzel
It was a good score to get back on track, although Lee is aware that it’s just one round in her return as a mother on the tour. Her son accompanies her on her travels. Lilia Vu, who has struggled this year, along with Nasa Hataoka, Carlota Ciganda, Leona Maguire, and Somi Lee, also shot a 64. Nelly Korda, who has yet to win this season after a seven-win year in 2024, couldn’t take advantage of the good scoring conditions. She shot a 69 and will start Friday’s second round closer to the cut line than the lead.“I would say that in the last two weeks, coming back and playing, the strongest part of my game is my approach shots, my irons. Generally, I’m good at hitting my numbers,” Lee explained. “I felt that in the last two weeks that was my weakness. I couldn’t do it well. So coming into this week, which is also a start on Friday, I had an extra day to prepare and hit more balls on the practice range, and I feel that really helped.”
Alison Lee
