LPGA League Leaders Schmelzel and Katsu Tie at NW Arkansas Championship
In the ongoing tournament at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, several players are vying for their first LPGA title of the 2025 season. Among them are Jessica Katsu and Bethany Schmelzel, both chasing their maiden victories on the tour.
Schmelzel, reflecting on the course's reputation as a 'birdiefest', emphasised the need to stay aggressive. She admitted that she was playing catch-up after the front nine, but struck late on holes offering birdie chances, recording birdies on holes 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, and an eagle at the par-five 18th, scoring an impressive 8-under par total of 63.
Katsu, too, started strong on the back nine, with birdies at hole 10 and 11, followed by additional birdies at the first two, fifth, sixth, tenth, eleventh, fifteenth, and eighteenth holes. Her bogey-free 63 puts her in a tight race with Schmelzel.
Nelly Korda, ranked number 2, is also in the hunt, chasing her first title of 2025 after a successful 2024 season where she captured seven titles. However, she has yet to win a tournament this year, finishing with a 69, which included four birdies and two bogeys.
A group of six players, including Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda, Lee So-mi, Lilia Vu, Nasa Hataoka, and Alison Lee, are just one stroke behind the leaders, having scored a 64 at the tournament. Each of these players managed seven birdies without a bogey, with Hataoka and Lee offsetting one bogey with six birdies and an eagle at the 18th.
Defending champion Jasmine Suwannapura of Thailand opened with a 73, trailing the leaders. The competition at Pinnacle Country Club promises to be intense as the tournament progresses.
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