After Saturday’s rescheduling and inevitable cancelling of round two, the LPGA decided to cancel the remainder of the tournament with only the first round scores being finalised, which was played on Friday.
Extreme weather conditions have taken over Pinnacle Country Club in Arkansas, as 3.25” of heavy rain fell on Saturday night. Basing expectations on weather forecasts, the LPGA liaised with their meteorologist and superintendent to deem the course unplayable.
The tournament will be unofficial with no CME points awarded as it did not reach the 36-hole minimum to be considered an official event.
It was particularly disappointing for Leona Maguire, whose seven-under-par opening round had set her up nicely, one shot off the lead. Sitting 52nd in the Order of Merit, a high finish would’ve gone a long way to securing her place in the season-ending CME Globe Championship, but instead, she’ll need to cement her place with at least one good performance over the closing stretch as the LPGA heads to Hawaii and then onto Asia before returning to the United States for the two final events.
Stephanie Meadow’s two-under-par Friday round sees the 33-year-old finish T66.
With the cancellation of play at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, LPGA Tour officials announce that $2 million in prize money will be paid out from the tournament purse – above and beyond the obligated 50 percent per LPGA sanctioning.
$1.5 million (50% of the original purse) will be distributed under the standard LPGA purse distribution method to the top 65 and ties, based on Friday’s 18-hole results. The remaining $500,000 will be divided evenly among all 144 players in the field, with each receiving $3,500.
The LPGA Tour will now move to Hawaii for the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei on the 1st of October at Hoakalei Country Club.
