2024 Sponsor Exemptions Announced; Kids Confidence Club Returns; #NWAChampionship Now GEO Certified
ROGERS, Ark. – Tournament officials announced today that current Arkansas Razorback and 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year Maria José Marin, Northwest Arkansas native and Epson Tour professional Lilly Thomas Russell and Kathy Whitworth Junior Invitational winner Shyla Brown have accepted sponsor exemptions to compete in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, taking place Sept. 23-29 at Pinnacle Country Club.
One of the most family-friendly events on the LPGA Tour, the #NWAChampionship will feature a variety of community-driven events and experiences for spectators of all ages, including the BITE Experience food festival and enhanced onsite areas for families, including the Walmart P&G Kids Confidence Club and the Pampers Family Tent. Tournament tickets and the full schedule of events are available at www.NWAChampionship.com.
The 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G will mark the first year for the tournament officially recognized as a GEO Certified Sustainable Golf Tournament, only the second LPGA Tour event in LPGA history to achieve the designation. The designation became official following the 2023 event, and officials are encouraging spectators to support the initiative onsite at this year’s tournament.
COMPETITION: The #NWAChampionship Announces 2024 Sponsor Exemptions
Maria José Marin, a Women’s Golf Coaches of America (WGCA) First Team All-American and current member of the Arkansas Razorback women’s golf team, joins Northwest Arkansas native and Epson Tour professional Lilly Thomas Russell and 2024 Kathy Whitworth Junior Invitational winner Shyla Brown as sponsor exemptions for the 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. José Marin and Brown will be making their LPGA Tour tournament debuts at Pinnacle Country Club.
José Marin, ranked No. 15 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, received the exemption on behalf of Walmart through the Road to the #NWAChampionship program. The program, presented by General Mills, awards an exemption annually to the top-ranked member of the Arkansas Razorback Women’s Golf Team. She was named the SEC Freshman of the Year for the 2023-24 season, headlined by her first collegiate victory at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational presented by Tyson Foods in October of 2023. She won eight World Amateur Golf Rankings events in 2023, including the Mexican Women’s Amateur and the South American Women’s Amateur. A two-time participant in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur – she advanced to the final round in both 2023 and 2024 (T-14 in 2023 and T-30 in 2024), Marin became the first South American golfer to advance to the final round at Augusta National in 2023.
Russell, a Northwest Arkansas native and University of Tulsa women’s golf alumnus, will compete for the second time at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G as a sponsor exemption. In 2023, Thomas competed at the #NWAChampionship in her final year at the University of Tulsa. She earned full-time Epson Tour status at the 2023 LPGA Q-Series for the 2024 season. Thomas grew up playing at Pinnacle Country Club as a junior golfer and was a former volunteer Standard Bearer at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G during her high school years at Bentonville High School.
Brown, 16, a decorated junior golfer from McKinney, Texas, is competing in her first LPGA Tour event as a result of winning the 2024 Kathy Whitworth Invitational Junior Girls Golf Championship in March. Brown, a member of the 2023 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Junior Golf All-Star Team and the 2024 U.S. Junior National Team, most recently finished T-9 at the USGA’s U.S. Girls Junior Championship in July.
They will join an elite field of 144 players that features many of the world’s top female professional golfers and other notable Northwest Arkansas players, including Razorback alums Maria Fassi, Stacy Lewis and Gaby Lopez.
COMMUNITY: Walmart and P&G Kids Confidence Club Returns, Offers Activities for All Ages
The Walmart and P&G Kids Confidence Club, the tournament’s onsite kids center, returns as a highly anticipated destination for children and parents alike during #NWAChampionship Week. The Kids Confidence Club will feature a variety of elements to enhance the experience for families – including a new, covered golf viewing patio overlooking Hole No. 16 and a fully air-conditioned space for parents and children to relax while at the tournament.
The Walmart and P&G Kids Confidence Club will feature a variety of meaningful, confidence-building experiences for children, including activations from the First Tee – Northwest Arkansas, The Jones Center, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Scott Family Amazeum. The Kids Confidence Club will also provide healthy snacks, complimentary seating and games for kids. The Kids Confidence Club is free and open to the public Friday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
All children ages 17 and under receive complimentary admission to the tournament all week with a ticketed adult, courtesy of Nestle.
Also returning in 2024 is the Pampers Family Tent, an enclosed, air-conditioned tent conveniently located in the main welcome corridor near the Kids Confidence Club. The space features three private bays with nursing and diaper changing stations, complimentary Pampers diapers and wipes, as well as a waiting area for kids and families. The Pampers Family Tent will be open during tournament rounds Friday-Sunday, Sept. 27-29.
NEW: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship an Official GEO Certified Event
The 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G will mark the first year as an officially recognized GEO Certified Sustainable Golf Tournament, designating the event as only the second on the LPGA Tour to have received certification. Overseen by the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, the internationally recognized standard is designed to strengthen and promote golf’s social and environmental commitment.
In its first year as a GEO Certified event, the #NWAChampionship aims to engage spectators in its ongoing sustainability efforts in a variety of ways. New this year, the tournament will host a Sustainability Showcase near the 9th tee featuring more information on the event’s initiatives, seating overlooking Hole No. 9 and an upcycled photo opportunity. Fans are also encouraged to utilize the event’s valet bike parking service, in partnership with Mercy and Pedal it Forward. Waste sorting efforts will also continue onsite in 2024 in partnership with local vendor, Food Loops, with officials striving to divert over 85% of all event waste from the landfill.
More information on how spectators can get involved in the tournament maintaining certification year over year can be found at https://nwachampionship.com/sustainability.
MEDIA: Media Credential Application Now Available
Media application registration is open at www.lpgamediacredentials.com. All members of the media interested in covering the tournament will need to apply for a credential. Advance approval by the LPGA is required for media access to the tournament. Contact Jeremy Friedman at jfriedman@outlyr.com for questions or additional information.
About the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G
A premier stop on the LPGA Tour, the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G returns September 21 – 29, 2024. 144 of the world’s best female golfers are set to compete at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, vying for a $3M purse. The week-long schedule of events also includes a 5k race, onsite food festival, women’s summit, and other community-driven events. Learn more about the tournament online at www.NWAChampionship.com.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 255 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19 countries. With fiscal year 2024 revenue of $648 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart, on X (formerly known as Twitter) at twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/walmart.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit https://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands. For other P&G news, visit us at https://www.pg.com/news.
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The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is the world’s premier women’s professional golf organization. Created in 1950 by 13 pioneering female Founders, the LPGA, whose members now represent more than 60 countries, is the longest-standing professional women’s sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, the LPGA Professionals, and a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA provides female professionals the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf at the highest level. In addition to its professional tours and teaching accreditation programs, the LPGA features a fully integrated Foundation, which provides best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming, and its LPGA Amateurs division, which offers its members playing and learning opportunities around the world. LPGA aims to use its unique platform to inspire, transform and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course.
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The LPGA Tour is the world’s leading competitive destination for the best female professional golfers in the world. The Tour hosts more than 30 annual events across 10 countries for over 200 Active Players, awarding total prize funds exceeding $125 million and reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. Follow the LPGA Tour on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel.
