Tranlate this title Yuna Nishimura dominates Walmart Arkansas in spanish

Yuna Nishimura secured her first career LPGA Tour victory by dominating the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G from start to finish. The 26-year-old Japanese golfer closed the third and final round with a 66 (-5) at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, finishing with a total of 192 strokes—21 under par—and pulling five shots clear of the chasing trio of Aki Iwai, Chanettee Wannasaen, and In Gee Chun, who all finished at 197 (-16). Nishimura had opened the tournament with two consecutive rounds of 63 and entered the final round with a five-stroke lead. After a cautious start on the front nine, she found her decisive momentum on the back nine, recording five birdies, two bogeys, and—most notably—an eagle on the par-5 14th, which she reached in two shots using a fairway wood to clear the water. «A five-stroke lead is a unique situation, but I believed in myself and kept going until the end. I had missed so many cuts this year, so winning is a surprise—a dream come true,» said the new champion.

Yuna Nishimura, results

With this victory, Nishimura becomes the third «Rolex First-Time Winner» of the 2026 season (following Yana Wilson and Gina Kim), the 17th different champion of the year, and the 24th Japanese winner in the Tour’s history. She is also the third Japanese player to triumph in Arkansas, joining Ai Miyazato (2012) and Nasa Hataoka (2018 and 2021). Miyazato, in particular, is a key figure for her: «She is the reason I play golf. When I was struggling, I would call her, and she was a shoulder to lean on. I can’t wait to call her and tell her I won.» Aki Iwai produced the round of the day—a bogey-free 62 featuring nine birdies (including five in a row)—to finish at 16-under par. Wannasaen (who shot a 64 with eight birdies) and Chun (who shot a 65 after a long hiatus) finished with the same total.

From the total prize purse of $3 million, the winner received $450,000. Nishimura, already a six-time winner on the Japanese tour, secured full membership status through 2028 and equaled the tournament’s 54-hole record set by Hataoka.

Benedetta Moresco (72-69) and Carolina Melgrati (71-70) missed the cut, both finishing at 141 (-1). Notably, Moresco recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 6th hole.