Lauren Walsh closed out with a one-under-par round of 70 to finish tied for 56th at the LPGA’s NW Arkansas Championship where Japan’s Yura Nishimura dominated from start to finish.
Walsh needed a second-round three-under 68 to make the cut on the number, but despite making four birdies in her final round of the 54-hole event, she dropped three shots along the way and treaded water, finishing just two places higher than she’d started the day.
Despite the made cut and the $8,000 in earnings, she dropped one place on the Race to CME Globe Rankings, leaving her just six tournaments remaining to play her way into the top 60 who will contest the season-ending CME Globe Championship.
Nishimura, who opened the three-day event with back-to-back rounds of 63, finished five strokes clear of Aki Iwai, Chanettee Wannasaen, and In Gee Chun, who tied for second at 16-under par. Holding a five-shot lead entering the final day, Nishimura admitted that managing the advantage presented its own mental hurdle.
“A five-shot lead is a pretty tough situation, but I believed in myself and just kept going until the end,” Nishimura said. “I missed a lot of cuts this year, so for me to win this tournament is a surprise, but it’s a dream come true.”
In Sunday’s final round, Nishimura carded five birdies and two bogeys, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 14th hole to secure the victory.
That aggressive approach paid off on the par-5 14th green, where she set up her eagles-eye standard.
“I was kind of debating on the distance, but I told myself to go aggressive until the very end and I went for it,” she said. “I knew it was a hole I had to be aggressive on. It wasn’t an option to play up, so I told myself to be aggressive from the start and that’s what I followed all the way through.”
With the win, Nishimura becomes the LPGA Tour’s third Rolex First-Time Winner of 2026, joining Yana Wilson and Gina Kim, who won the Dow Championship. She is also the 17th unique champion on the LPGA Tour this season.
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