Arkansas Championships 2022 | Aditi Ashok fails to make the cut
Aditi Ashok of India had a better second-round score of four under par 67, but she was unable to advance to the final round at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. After starting from hole 10, she was off to a strong start, making four birdies in a stretch of five holes between holes 11 and 15.
On the last 12 holes, she added two more birdies and two bogeys to her two bogeys from the first day, bringing her total for the round to 2-under for 36 holes, still two shy of the cut. That once more put an early stop to Aditi’s week. Atthaya Thitikul, the Rolex First-Time Winner, benefited the most from Moving Day.
The 19-year-old has a one-shot lead going into Sunday after shooting a bogey-free 10-under 61 to tie the 18-hole tournament scoring record that was first established by major champion So Yeon Ryu in 2017. By two strokes over her previous record of 63, Thitikul’s 61 is the lowest round of her LPGA Tour career. Her 36-hole total of 128 is also a new career low.
After completing the back nine in 32 strokes, Thitikul sped down the front nine, capping the record-tying round with an eagle-birdie-birdie finish. Yuka Saso, who is one shot behind Thitikul and has experience winning at the age of just 19, is in second place. In the wake of her triumph at the US Women’s Open in 2021, Saso joined the LPGA Tour.
Lilia Vu is competing for the second time in a row despite experiencing back pain. On day two, Vu recorded his second consecutive 65, which was capped by an eagle on the par-5 7th and three straight birdies on holes 16, 17, and 18. She is presently third alone.
Nine golfers are tied for fourth at 10-under, including six-time LPGA Tour champion Danielle Kang and Chevron champion Jennifer Kupcho, who is attempting to win her fourth tournament in 2022. Only three starts have been made by Kang since she started receiving treatment for a tumour on her spine. At four-under, 70 golfers, including Alana Uriell and Gaby Lopez, qualified for the round.
