By: Max Bechtoldt
The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship kicks off its 2024 edition Friday for a three-day tournament. Here are the five players I think are most likely to win.
No. 5 – Nasa Hataoka – Hataoka has played very well in this event throughout her career, with two wins on this course, including 2022. Nasa hasn’t had the strongest season in 2024 relatively speaking, with only three top-10 finishes and one top five. That being said, Hataoka is always a threat to go low especially on a course she knows so well.
No. 4 – Lilia Vu – Lilia Vu can win any golf tournament she is in the field for, and that is no exception here. Vu has three top-two finishes in her last six solo LPGA Tour events, and while she didn’t have the greatest Solheim Cup, clinching the winning half point certainly should give her some confidence.
No. 3 – Mao Saigo – The last two champions of this event have gone on to win the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year, so why not pick the player currently leading in the standings. Saigo is still looking for her first LPGA Tour win, but she does have five top-10 finishes including at the AIG Women’s Open and the Canadian Open.
No. 2 – Haeran Ryu – It is hard to not pick the reigning champion of this event, when she has been wildly good as of late and really the entire season. In Ryu’s last six events, she has finished in the top five in five of them, and the top three in four of them. When her game is on she might be the strongest player in the world, and it has been on recently.
No. 1 – Jeeno Thitikul – There is clearly no doubt at this point, if there was before, that Jeeno Thitikul is one of the elite talents in women’s golf. Since 2022 she has 36 top-10 finishes on tour, that is 10 more than second place Nelly Korda. Since the Mizuho Americas Open, she has seven top-10 placements. Nobody puts themselves in position to win more than Jeeno.
