Schmelzel and Katsu Lead Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
ROGERS, Ark. – Sarah Schmelzel staged an impressive comeback on Friday, moving from the middle of the pack to the lead in just five holes. With four consecutive birdies and an eagle, she closed her round with a 63, tying Minami Katsu at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Alison Lee also had an outstanding performance, with a birdie and an eagle, placing her one stroke behind the leaders. This result is especially significant for Lee, who is playing in her third tournament since giving birth to her son at the end of April. The low score was a constant at Pinnacle Country Club, something that initially worried Schmelzel. After a start of 34 strokes and two under par, it seemed stagnant. However, she was aware that she was approaching holes conducive to scoring, with short shots to the green and two par 5s.Schmelzel managed to get several shots close with wedges and sank a long putt for birdie on the 17th hole. Then, he culminated his performance with a second shot that left him in position for an eagle. After being two under par in the first 13 holes, he finished with six under par in the last five. Katsu, for his part, distributed his eight birdies throughout a bogey-free round. The surprise was Lee, who 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, and failed to make the cut last week at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Lee is asked if 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 the clubs are pretty short,” Schmelzel commented. “I told my caddie on the 14th hole that I needed to start making birdies or I was going to be left behind today.”
Sarah Schmelzel
It was a good score to get her going, although Lee realized it was just one round in her comeback to motherhood on the circuit. Her son travels with her. Lilia Vu, who has been struggling all year, 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 enter Friday’s second round closer to the cut line than the lead.“I would say that in the last few weeks, going back and playing, the strongest part of my game is my approach shots, my irons. Normally I’m good at hitting my numbers,” said Lee. “I felt that in the last few weeks that was my weakness. I couldn’t do it well. So coming into this week, also being a Friday start, I had an extra day to prepare and hit more balls on the practice range, and I feel like that really helped.”
Alison Lee
