Yuna Nishimura Cards Second Consecutive 63 to Hold 36-Hole Lead in Rogers
By Jennifer Meyer, LPGA.com
Yuna Nishimura delivered another masterclass in ball-striking Saturday, carding her second consecutive 8-under 63 to open up a commanding five-stroke lead after two rounds of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.
Playing at Pinnacle Country Club, Nishimura backed up her opening-round 63 with a 9-birdie, 1-bogey performance to move to 16-under par overall. Heading into Sunday's final round, she holds a comfortable cushion over a trio of chasers, Auston Kim, Mary Liu, and Michelle Zhang, who sit tied for second place at 11-under par.
Nishimura’s approach play remained the story of the tournament. After missing just two greens in regulation for two rounds, the 26-year-old Japanese golfer continued to put on a ball-striking clinic, finding 11 of 13 fairways and hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation during Saturday's round.
Her precision with short irons consistently left her with prime scoring opportunities.
“My short irons were working really well, so I was able to put it close to the pin and kind of all worked out for me,” Nishimura said through a translator following her round.
Nishimura’s aggressive mindset has paid massive dividends on a venue known for yielding low scores. With 18 birdies against just one bogey through two days, she has put herself in position to capture her first LPGA Tour victory.
Despite holding a substantial five-stroke advantage heading into Sunday’s 54-hole finale, Nishimura has no intention of protecting her lead or taking her foot off the gas.
“Things are going well, so I really don't want to change anything—just the same thing tomorrow,” Nishimura said. “So it's going to be the same thing again tomorrow, but I would like to go for 20-under.”
Kim capitalized on clean ball-striking to card a bogey-free 7-under 64 in the second round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.
The 26-year-old hit 10 of 13 fairways and reached 16 of 18 greens in regulation while recording seven birdies. The St. Augustine, Florida native relied on steady play off the tee and accurate approach shots to remain mistake-free.
"It's always tough, but I just tried to keep it light and focus on what I wanted," Kim said after her round. "Golf is a lot of fun when you're trying to have fun and enjoy it. That's what I wanted to do this week, especially after playing last week. I know I'm not at 100%, but all I want to do is enjoy and have fun, and everything takes care of itself."
Now in her third season on the LPGA Tour, Kim has made 10 cuts in 15 starts this year. Her season features four top-10 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up performance at the HSBC Women's World Championship, a tie for third at the Blue Bay LPGA, a tie for fifth at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, and a ninth-place finish at The Amundi Evian Championship.
Kim entered the tournament fresh off making her Solheim Cup debut representing the United States in the Netherlands.
"I had the time of my life with all the girls last week, and it was probably the most I've enjoyed playing golf and competing and just being a competitor out there," Kim said. "It's really important to remind myself that I earned my spot on that team in the span of a year with all the points that I gathered from good finishes and good golf. It's just a matter of staying patient."
Also standing at 7-under for the day to share second place was Mary Liu of the People’s Republic of China, who carded a 64 highlighted by eight birdies and a single bogey. Liu hit 10 of 13 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation, needing just 24 putts to complete her round.
A two-time winner on the CLPGA, Liu has made eight cuts in 15 starts this season as she pursues her first LPGA Tour victory.
"I think I rest really well the past three weeks and then more fresh," Liu said after posting 14 total birdies through two rounds. "And then just a lot of work paid off. Like golf sometime go up, sometime go down. Just this week it went up a little bit. Definitely all the team works together to make the score like this, so I'm just a person who do it."
Completing the trio tied for second is LPGA Tour rookie Michelle Zhang, also representing the People’s Republic of China, who fired a 7-under 64 of her own with eight birdies and one bogey. Zhang delivered stellar accuracy off the tee, hitting 12 of 13 fairways while missing just three greens in regulation across the first two days of competition.
Zhang earned her LPGA Tour membership for the 2026 season after finishing 13th in the Epson Tour's Race for the Card. Having made four cuts in 10 starts during her rookie campaign, Zhang is seeking a late-season boost in the Race to the CME Globe standings to secure her spot in the upcoming Asia swing.
"It's been definitely like challenging for sure, because just the first few weeks getting a feel out here," Zhang said of her transition from the Epson Tour. "I didn't have the best status coming into this year and kind of not knowing where I'll be after every week. I feel like on Epson I'm genuinely always kind of looking to try and win the tournament, compared to coming out here, I was a little struggling with just kind of looking at the cut line every event."
