Andrea Lee held off a charging pack to become the ninth first-time winner of the season with her victory at the AmazingCre Portland Classic on Sunday.
Lee, a third-year member on the LPGA Tour, made an uneasy transition from an illustrious amateur career at Stamford University to the LPGA Tour during the COVID-shortened season of 2020. For a time, she was the top-ranked amateur in the world and one of the most decorated athletes in Stanford’s history. But she struggled to convert her collegiate success into professional prowess and was forced to return to Q-Series in order to retain her card. Lee began to find her footing in 2022 as she recorded three top-5 finishes ahead of her breakthrough win, which she captured with a final round 66 on Sunday.
“It's a huge weight off my back,” Lee said after her maiden victory. “The goal was to be in contention and try to win an LPGA Tour event. And now that I did that, yeah, it's kind of like a sigh of relief. I still want to win more now that I've won one. Just want to keep on doing it.”
Four weeks into a six-week string of events which crisscross the United States, the LPGA Tour makes its next stop at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Ark. where players will compete for a $2.3 million purse.
Since 2007, Pinnacle Country Club has annually attracted the best in the women’s game with eight former world No.1s winning in Arkansas throughout the tournament’s history - Jiyai Shin (2009), Yani Tseng (2010, 2011), Ai Miyazato (2012), Inbee Park (2013), Stacy Lewis (2014), Lydia Ko (2016), So Yeon Ryu (2017), and Sung Hyun Park (2019).
The Arkansas faithful have been proud supporters of the championship and brought a lot of fun to the event with their Woo Pig Sooie chant known as The Hog Call, particularly at the par 3, 17th hole where players often take part in the chant as they walk from tee to green. And each year, the University of Arkansas’ women’s golf program has taken advantage of the opportunity to compete alongside and learn from the best players in the world. In 2022, two tournament sponsor invitations have been given to members of the program, Brooke Matthews and Kajal Mistry. Former Razorbacks Gaby Lopez, Maria Fassi, and Lewis are also in the field.
Beginning Friday, the 54-hole event will once more feature the best in the women’s game with Nelly Korda as the top-ranked player in the field. Current world No. 1 Jin Young Ko remains sidelined with a wrist injury which has plagued her since last season. The field also features two dozen major champions including Ariya Jutanugarn, Lexi Thompson, Minjee Lee, Sei Young Kim, Jennifer Kupcho, and returning past champions in Lewis, Ryu, Lydia Ko, and Sung Hyun Park.
Nasa Hataoka, one of only two players ranked inside the top 10 in the world who has yet to win a major championship, returns as a defending champion. Hataoka, a two-time winner of the event in 2018 and 2021, made a hole-in-one in both the first and second rounds en route to her victory last season. Fans will await to see whether she has another ace up her sleeve as she seeks to become the first three-time winner in Arkansas.
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