Walmart NW Arkansas Championship notes

Aditi Ashok watches her tee shot Saturday on the ninth hole at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.
Aditi Ashok watches her tee shot Saturday on the ninth hole at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.

Ashok helps Rookie of the Year chances

ROGERS — Aditi Ashok’s second-round surge at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship pushed her closer to achieving her goal to be the LPGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year.

“Winning Rookie of the Year would mean a lot to me because so many great players have gone on to win Rookie of the Year and done so much after that,” Ashok said. “I’m just going to try to make the most of the events I have left.”

The 19-year-old phenom shot 7-under-par, behind the strength of eight birdies, to climb her way near the top of the leaderboard on the second day of the tournament. She finished the day in a four-way tie for fifth and eight strokes behind the leader, So Yeon Ryu.

“I feel good,” she said. “I knew yesterday with the wind that the morning half is the scoring half, so I knew if I hit some good shots, I would be able to hit some birdies.”

Ashok already has some experience in what it takes to be named the top rookie on a tour. She earned 2016 Rookie of the Year honors on the Ladies European Tour after she won backto-back events at the Hero Women’s Indian Open and the Qatar Ladies Open. The rookie also spent some time away from the European tour to represent India in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She didn’t finish as high as she would have liked, coming in at No. 41, but was still grateful for the opportunity, she said.

“It was a huge experience,” Ashok said. “I was in the top three over the first two days but I didn’t finish that well, but still playing in an event that big and getting to play with some of the best in the world was pretty good. I sort of saw where my game was at.” If Ashok wins the coveted Rolex Rookie title, her name will be mentioned in the same breath as some of the all-time greats, such as Julie Inkster (1984), Lydia Ko (2012), Lorena Ochoa (2002) and Annika Sorenstam (1994). She would also be the first golfer since Karie Webb to win Rookie of the Year on both the LET and LPGA and the fourth overall to accomplish the feat.

Her second-round score was a personal best, competing in only her eighth LPGA event of her career. She’s missed the cut twice this season but had her highest finish at the Meijer LPGA Classic earlier this month. Ashok shot 1-under in the final round to finish tied for 32nd.

“I drove the ball pretty well except for on a couple of holes,” she said. “So putting myself in position was good. I didn’t hit it really close on a lot of holes. I made probably four or five 15 footers, which was the difference, but I’m just going to do the same thing tomorrow.”

Lewis, Lopez shine, other Hogs struggle

Stacy Lewis built off a strong first round to shoot 6-under 65 on Saturday. She’s tied for second at 11-under, five strokes behind Ryu. Gaby Lopez birdied five times to move up to 10th on the leaderboard and sits at 6-under for the tournament.

Other current or former University of Arkansas, Fayetteville golfers did not fare as well.

Alana Uriell and Regina Plasencia each finished over par with Uriell ending the day at 2-over and Plasencia at 5-over.

Emily Tubert double-bogeyed on three holes as part of a tough outing Saturday. She bogeyed on her first six holes on the back nine before sinking a birdie on the Nos. 16 and 18 holes. The California native finished with an 11-over 81 for the day.

Notable players miss cut

One of the players who won’t be moving forward is the No. 40-ranked player Brittany Lincicome. She bogeyed twice Saturday to put her at 4-over for the tournament.

Former Rookie of the Year Paula Creamer was cut from her fifth LPGA event this season after she posted a score of 4-over. Creamer has won 10 events in her career, including the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open.

Nelly Korda, sister of the world’s No. 25-ranked golfer Jessica Korda, failed to qualify for Sunday’s round after she bogeyed four times to end the day at even par for the tournament. Natalie Gulbis, who got into the event on a sponsor exemption, shot a 73 on Saturday to finish 4-over, and Yani Tseng, still the only two-time winner of this event, also missed the cut after shooting a 71 on Saturday.

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