As the LPGA Tour comes to Rogers, Arkansas, and Pinnacle Country Club for the 15th official edition of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, history suggests a few things to look out for.
This week marks the 15th edition of the LPGA mainstay, which debuted in 2007 and has been held at Pinnacle Country Club since its beginning. No. 10 in the world Nasa Hataoka of Japan leads the field as the defending champion from 2021 when she won her second Arkansas Championship title and her fifth overall. After winning the 2022 Dio Implant LA Open in April, the 23-year-old is hoping for her second triumph of the season.
The 54-hole event begins on Friday, with 144 players competing for a $2,300,000 prize pool. After 18 holes, the field will be reduced to the top 70 and ties.
How to Watch the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in 2022
Golf Channel will broadcast the 2022 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, with streaming choices accessible at any time on any mobile device and online via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
- Friday, Sept. 23: 8-10 a.m. ET; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel Broadcast at FuboTV
- Saturday, Sept. 24: noon-3 p.m. ET, Golf Channel Broadcast at FuboTV
- Sunday, Sept. 25: noon-3 p.m. ET, Golf Channel Broadcast at FuboTV
All will be Broadcast at FuboTV
Who will compete in the 2022 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship?
In addition to the defending champion and world No. 10 Hataoka, the field includes previous winners Stacy Lewis (2014), Na Yeon Choi (2015), and So Yeon Ryu (2016). (2017). Other prominent names in the Pinnacle CC lineup include Andrea Lee, last week’s champion and first-time winner at the AmazingCre Portland Classic, as well as six of the top ten players in the Rolex World Golf Rankings, including:
- No. 2 Nelly Korda
- No. 3 Minjee Lee
- No. 4 Lydia Ko
- No. 5 Atthaya Thitikul
- No. 7 Lexi Thompson
Previous Walmart NW Arkansas Championship:
| YEAR | WINNER | SCORE | MARGIN | RUNNERUP |
| 2021 | Nasa Hataoka | 16-under 197 | 1 stroke | Eun-Hee Ji, Minjee Lee |
| 2020 | Austin Ernst | 20-under 193 | 2 strokes | Anna Nordqvist |
| 2019 | Sung Hyun Park | 18-under 195 | 1 stroke | Danielle Kang, Hyo Joo Kim, Inbee Park |
| 2018 | Nasa Hataoka | 21-under 192 | 6 strokes | Austin Ernst |
| 2017 | So Yeon Ryu | 18-under 195 | 2 strokes | Amy Yang, Moriya Jutanugarn |
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Past Time:
Nasa Hataoka started the final round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship as the co-leader and emerged the winner on Sunday with a final-round 67, claiming her second victory of the season with a one-stroke win over Minjee Lee and Eun-Hee Ji at the 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Hataoka finished at 16-under 197, with a hole-in-one in each of her first and second rounds at Pinnacle CC. She hit an ace on the par-3 11th hole in the first round and another on the par-3 sixth in the second round.
“My first win here, and of course the two holes-in-one, it kind of feels like it’s my power point,” said Hataoka, who also set the tournament score record of 21-under 192 in 2018.
More information on Pinnacle Country Club
Pinnacle Country Club, which first opened its doors in 1990, was built by famous golf course architect Don Sechrest, with 13-time PGA Tour champion Bruce Lietzke serving as a consultant. Randy Heckenkemper rebuilt the course in 2009, and it will play at a par 71 with an official distance of 6,438 yards.
Seon Hwa Lee was the first recognized winner of the Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle CC in 2008. Due to weather, only 18 holes were completed in the 2007 event, making it unofficial. Stacy Lewis, an amateur who played college golf at Arkansas at the time, led after the first round and was crowned the unofficial champion. However, Lewis won the title for the first time in 2014, defeating the strong trio of Lydia Ko, Christie Kerr, and Angela Stanford by a single stroke. Hataoka, who also won in 2018, and Yani Tseng (champion in 2010 and 2011) are the only players to have won the event twice.
More about Walmart NW Arkansas Championship:
A House Split
Most dedicated fans are aware that the next U.S. Solheim Cup captain was born in Ohio, relocated to Clemson, South Carolina, but grew up in The Woodlands, Texas before attending college in Fayetteville, Ark., where she won the school’s first NCAA individual championship. Some may be surprised to learn that her husband, Gerrod Chadwell, is currently the head women’s golf coach at Texas A&M.
The undefeated Razorbacks will face the Aggies in one of the most anticipated week-four college football matches on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EDT, just after the second round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship concludes.
Stacy and Garrod will not be attending the game. This Saturday, Stacy will tee off at Pinnacle Country Club, while Gerrod will be coaching his team at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas for the “Mo” Morial Invitational.
Favorite Former Razorbacks
It seems fitting that two of Arkansas’ favorite girls hail from Mexico and will be returning to Rogers for another shot at success during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Gaby Lopez, a former Razorback, has earned another title to her CV since the last time this tournament was held. The 28-year-old Mexican won the Dana Open in Toledo on the first weekend of September, birdieing the final hole to beat Megan Khang. Lopez has returned to her college town in the hopes of finishing the month on a high note.
Maria Fassi, another former Razorback who won the NCAA individual championship while at Arkansas and is heading into the week playing some of the best golf of her career, is looking for her first career victory. Fassi came in third place at the Queen City Championship, her second top-five performance of the season.
ESPN+ Is Back
The highlighted groups will be live-streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET on Friday morning for the second time in three competitions. The streaming function was introduced to the LPGA Tour for the first time at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, and it immediately improved the fan experience.
Fans not only get to see some of the most popular players in the women’s game from warm-ups to putts, but they also interact with ESPN+ analysts during the round to share insights into their rounds.
