LPGA Scraps Rain-Soaked Arkansas Event, Prize Money Reduced to $2M

The LPGA Tour was forced to cancel the remainder of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Sunday, after excessive rain prevented substantial play at Pinnacle Country Club over the weekend. 

The women’s golf tournament was supposed to be a 54-hole event, with a $3 million purse, played Friday through Sunday. However, rain suspended play Saturday, and then another 3.25 inches poured down Saturday night, making the course unplayable.

On Sunday morning, the LPGA announced that it was canceling the remainder of the tournament, with only players’ 18-hole scores counting for a reduced payout. LPGA events must have at least 36 holes played to be counted as official tournaments, so there will be no points awarded to players in the season-long competition, The Race to CME Globe, which culminates with an $11 million season finale in November.

The LPGA is paying out $2 million of prize money, with $1.5 million based on Friday’s 18-hole results, and $500,000 divided evenly among all 144 players in the field—each receiving $3,500.

American Sarah Schmelzel and Japan’s Minami Katsu were tied for the lead, and each earned $183,095. Six players were tied for third at one shot back, and will receive $63,392 each: Lilia Vu, Somi Lee, Leona Maguire, Alison Lee, Carlota Ciganda, and Nasa Hataoka.

Earlier this year, the LPGA canceled the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship two months before it was set to be played in March, due to the event underwriter failing to fulfill any portion of its payment obligations to the LPGA Tour for the 2024 and 2025 events. That California tournament was supposed to have a $2 million purse, and the LPGA later sued the underwriter’s parent company.