NW Arkansas hoping for better year
IN: News | LPGA | NW Arkansas Championship (2008) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 02 Jul 2008
The LPGA Tour moves to the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas this week for the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship, hoping for a better week than was the case last year when the inaugural staging of the event was washed out and only 18 holes could be played.
The young lady who last week threatened to win the US Open in her very first event as a professional, Stacy Lewis, is the defending champion as such, although little could be read into her effort despite a first and only round of 65. The victory was Lewis’ in name only as, because of the reduced number of holes, the victory was unofficial.
Lewis will however enjoy the fact that in her very first two events as a professional she has gained much publicity, firstly when leading last week and now this week as the defending champion.
Quite simply, last year’s event was a disaster especially given that this was the first occasion an LPGA event had been played in Arkansas in nearly 50 years and so there was much disappointment in the outcome.
Several of the leading LPGA players have taken the week off although Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr are in the field as is last week’s US Open champion, In Bee Park. As to whether Park is still in the event by the time it gets underway on Friday remains to be seen.
Given its timing the week after the US Women’s Open, the event’s organisers should be pleased at the quality of the field they have been able to assemble.
Morgan Pressel is also in the field, the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Champion recording several good finishes of late.
Seon Hwa Lee and Eun-Hee Ji, both recent winners on the LPGA Tour are also teeing it up and Jeong Jang looks to continue her consistent season with another good week.
Of the Australians, Lindsey Wright, Rachel Hetherington and Katherine Hull all made the cut last week at Interlachen and will play as will Anna Rawson, who received a special exemption to the event, Michelle Ellis, Wendy Doolan, Sarah Kemp and Sarah Jane Kenyon.
