Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Who will be No. 1?
LPGA tournament in Rogers features strong field.
ROGERS — The battle for world No. 1 will continue this week as the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament returns to Pinnacle Country Club.
The LPGA event, which started in 2007, will feature a strong field of 144 golfers that includes the current top-ranked golfer, Ariya Jutanugarn, and the defending tournament champion Lydia Ko, who held the No. 1 ranking for 85 consecutive weeks until Jutanugarn jumped to the top of the Rolex Rankings last week.
Past tournament champions Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi and Inbee Park also are among the notables in the field, as well as the current No. 3-ranked player, So Yeon Ryu. There will again be a local flavor as at least three former or current members of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, women’s golf team have secured spots. Gaby Lopez, Alana Uriell and Lewis are locked in the field, with Uriell earning a sponsorship exemption. Two other current Razorbacks have spots in Monday’s qualifying tournament and could play their way into the tournament.
Lexi Thompson, the Rolex No. 4 player, will miss the event for the second consecutive year, citing “personal reasons.” Last year, Thompson withdrew with a back injury.
The NW Arkansas Championship is the fifth LPGA event in an 11-week stretch and comes just one week before the Women’s PGA Championship, and three weeks before the U.S. Women’s Open.
Jay Allen, the tournament chairman who helped bring the event to Northwest Arkansas 11 years ago, said the event continues to prosper despite a rough start in 2007.
“I’m proud of it, having watched it grow into what it’s become based on the start we had,” Allen said. “It’s exceeded my hope and I wanted it to be more than golf. We’re all proud of that.”
The first year could accurately be described as a disaster as
storms literally washed away the tournament. Only 18 of the 54 holes were completed that September weekend, and Octagon Events “lost a good deal of money that first year,” Allen said.
Allen said there were some concerns that the event could be “one-and-done” after the brutal beginning, but several big sponsors stepped up to help get it off the ground.
“Walmart wanted to give it another shot, and they helped a little bit with the financial pain,” Allen said. “So we got another chance to do a first year and it started to catch traction then. And at about that time P&G stepped up and we had a true title sponsor and Walmart was the presenting, then it flipped and now it’s grown to now being on really solid ground.”
Harry Hardy, with Octagon Events and the tournament chairman, said the event is set on a two-year contract and this year’s tournament and 2018 are set. Hardy said talks are underway to keep the tournament beyond that.
Both Allen and Hardy said golf is the focal point of the LPGA event, but there is so much more to the tournament week than long drives and birdie putts.
“It’s a week-long celebration of what Northwest Arkansas stands for and is,” Hardy said. “Across the region it’s just getting better and better every year it seems.”
Hardy said his group has tried to put the focus on adding more events to engage more people. Among the changes for this year is a new, massive structure near the No. 17 hole called Hub479, a 6,600-square-foot viewing deck where fans can see the No. 16 and No. 17 greens, as well as the No. 18 tee box.
“It is the single-biggest structure we have ever built,” Hardy said. “It’s open to the public, free of charge. We are trying to create a unique experience where there will be the food experience but also lounge seating, games, a photo booth, just different activities. We’ve never done this before and we hope to bring out a younger demographic.”
Fans will also fork out a lot less for concession food this years as prices have been slashed. There will be no concession item priced above $3, Hardy said.
A number of local charities will also receive contributions from the tournament, just as in years past. Allen said the tournament has given more than $2.5 million over the past 10 years, and this year’s contributions could push that past $3 million.
Despite a record amount of rain in the region this spring, both Allen and Hardy agreed the Pinnacle Country Club course is in top shape. A volunteer army of more than 800 will help the tournament run smoothly, Allen said. Last year it was determined that 85 volunteers have been with the tournament since its inception in 2007.
“There are high expectations from Walmart and everybody to make it better ever year,” Allen said. “This is not just about golf. Golf is still the straw that stirs the drink, but now we’ve added all these other things on top of that. If this was just a three-day golf event, we might exist, but I’m not sure frankly.
The week will start off with Tuesday’s practice rounds, then the big pro-ams on Wednesday and Thursday. Tournament play starts Friday and will end Sunday afternoon. All three rounds of the tournament will be televised on The Golf Channel. A number of events will take place throughout the week, including a 5K race, a concert by Elle King on Saturday at the Walmart AMP and the popular Bite NWA food festival on Thursday and Friday at the 8th Street Market in Bentonville.