Choi looks to keep country’s dominance going in defense of title

In the blink of an eye, Na Yeon Choi changed everything at last year’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G.

The former world No. 1 began the 16^th hole a stroke behind leader Stacy Lewis, but turned the tables on the former Razorbacks star by holing out for eagle on 16 and birdieing 17. A par on the closing hole left her with a two-stroke win over Japan’s Mika Miyazato and the ninth LPGA Tour victory of her career.

“I hit 3‑wood and I hit 8‑iron to the pin, was like 145,” Choi said of the eagle on 16. “Then I hit controlled 8‑iron. I mean, when I hold the finish, I thought it’s going to be good, but I didn’t expect like it go in.

“I knew it was going to be good. That was a good shot, and then I knew it’s going to be good.”

The win was good for $300,000 at the $2 million event, and that is what’s up for grabs again this week as the Tour returns to Rogers, Ark. Choi leads a talented group back to the par-71, 6,386-yard Pinnacle Country Club for the 54-hole tournament.

Choi will look to keep her native country’s dominance going in 2016, as players born in the Republic of Korea have won eight of the 17 tournaments so far this year. Most recently, Sei Young Kim added her second win of the season at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Sunday.

This week’s field is loaded with players who have already tasted victory this year, including three-time winner Ariya Jutanugarn and two-time winners Lydia Ko and Haru Nomura. Other tournament winners teeing it up are Hyo Joo Kim, Minjee Lee, Jenny Shin and Brooke Henderson, and there are plenty of hungry players who would love to join them among the ranks of LPGA champions with a good performance this week.

Chief among that group is Lewis, who won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in 2014. Other past winners who are back for more this week are two-time champion Yani Tseng (2010-11) and Ai Miyazato (2012), and all three of those players are also former world No. 1s.

Carlota Ciganda, who lost to Sei Young Kim in a playoff on Sunday, will be looking to break through with her first LPGA win, and leading rookie In Gee Chun, who finished third on Sunday, is another hungry player traveling to Arkansas this week. Last year’s runner-up, Mika Miyazato, is also in the field, as are Tour stars Gerina Piller, Michelle Wie and Amy Yang and Hall of Famers Laura Davies, Juli Inkster and Se Ri Pak.

Fans will have plenty of great players to keep up with, and with an average winning score of more than 12-under-par, red numbers should be plentiful on the leader board. This week’s event marks roughly the midpoint of the Tour’s 11-week summer stretch that extends through the end of July and includes two more major championships.

That’s the next time the LPGA will take a break from action, which is music to fans of women’s golf, who no doubt are enjoying the summer sizzle that’s taking place inside the ropes.