NW Arkansas Championship 2025 Betting Tips: Jamie’s five to win in LPGA

Charley Hull became the LPGA’s 25^th different winner of 2025 at the Kroger Queen City Championship last week, edging out world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul in dramatic fashion. Hull, the 54-hole leader, closed with a birdie at 18 to secure her third LPGA title, but that doesn't quite tell the whole story, as Thitikul shockingly four-putted the final hole to let the victory slip from her grasp.

From Ohio, the tour heads to Pinnacle Country Club for the Arkansas Championship. With the LPGA beginning a six-week stretch in Hawaii and Asia in two weeks’ time, this is our last stop in mainland USA until The ANNIKA in November.

Our LPGA golf expert Jamie Worsley is on-hand with a comprehensive preview for the tournament. Check out his NW Arkansas Championship Betting Tips below, where he has picked out five players to back each-way ranging from 25/1 to 125/1...

You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest NW Arkansas Championship Odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The Arkansas Championship debuted on the LPGA in 2007 and has been held annually since. Each edition of this 54-hole tournament has taken place at Pinnacle Country Club.

Stacy Lewis won the first renewal when she was still an amateur in 2007 – an event that was reduced to 18 holes due to severe weather. She then returned to win again in 2014 and is one of just three two-time winners, alongside Yani Tseng (2010, 2011) and Nasa Hataoka (2018, 2021).

Last five winners:

• 2024

Winner: Jasmine Suwannapura (-17, playoff)

Runner-up: Lucy Li (-17)

• 2023

Winner: Haeran Ryu (-19)

Runner-up: Linnea Strom (-16)

• 2022

Winner: Jeeno Thitikul (-17, playoff)

Runner-up: Danielle Kang (-17)

• 2021

Winner: Nasa Hataoka (-16)

Runners-up: Eun-hee Ji, Minjee Lee (-15)

• 2020

Winner: Austin Ernst (-20)

Runner-up: Anna Nordqvist (-18)

Jasmine Suwannapura won in spectacular style in last year's Arkansas Championship. The Thai star eagled her final hole in regulation – part of a superb 10-under-par round – to get into a playoff against Lucy Li.

She then eagled that same hole on the second extra hole to walk away with her third LPGA victory and returns to defend the title this week.

THE COURSE

Pinnacle Country Club opened in 1990 and was designed by Don Sechrest. It was later renovated in 2009 by Randy Heckenkemper.

This par 71 measures 6438 yards and contains 5x par 3s (150-190 yards), 9x par 4s (320-431 yards) and 4x par 5s (488-578 yards).

Despite water being in-play on 15 holes at this fun risk/reward layout, it has remained vulnerable to low scoring, averaging a winning score of -17.8 across its last 10 editions.

This attractive tree-lined course is rather hilly, with elevation changes throughout. The zoysia fairways are wide and lacking in defence from particularly thick rough or abundant bunkering, but with trees hugging the fairways on a number of the doglegs, players still need to be mindful about where they position their ball off the tee.

The average-to-large sized bentgrass greens will be intended to play at a speedy 12 on the stimp this week, though with plenty of rain in the forecast they'll likely lose their fire. These often multi-tiered surfaces feature subtle, hard-to-read breaks and with many narrow in shape, it can be tricky to access pin positions.

All that being said, the course is reasonably straightforward and there are just too many birdie chances to keep the players at bay. Three of the four par 5s are reachable in two for the majority of the field and the course is packed with short par 4s, including the 10^th hole that will play as short as 266 yards this week.

There is danger awaiting on the par 3s, no more so than the signature 15^th – a 150-yard hole that requires players to hit an approach into a small island green. However, these holes are too few and with the high probability of a rain-softened course, we should expect scoring to be low once again.

THE WEATHER

Rain is forecast to be a persistent threat throughout this week, with as much as 20mm predicted to fall before play gets underway. It continues to fall during the tournament itself, though is much lighter on Friday and Saturday before the heavier stuff potentially returns for Sunday's final round.

This should ensure a receptive course and with general wind speeds of just 7-9mph scheduled, there is little to deter the field from taking it apart.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation

As a low-scoring event with receptive greens and generous fairways, it's to be expected that iron play is pivotal at Pinnacle Country Club.

Jasmine Suwannapura ranked 14^th in approach and 5^th in greens-in-regulation (GIR) on her way to victory last season. Runner-up Lucy Li ranked 6^th in approach and 12^th in GIR, while 3^rd-place finisher Sei Young Kim ranked 7^th in approach and 2^nd in GIR. Meanwhile, in 4^th, Arpichaya Yubol and Mao Saigo ranked 8^th and 10^th in approach respectively, with Saigo also ranking 5^th in GIR.

It was a similar story in 2023 as winner Haeran Ryu ranked 2^nd in approach and 3^rd in GIR. Her nearest challenger Linnea Strom ranked 12^th in approach and 3^rd in GIR; Japan's Yuna Nishimura finished 3^rd and led the field in both areas; and fellow 3^rd-place finisher Jenny Shin ranked 4^th in approach and 10^th in GIR.

We can also head back to 2022 to hammer home this point. There, we saw champion Jeeno Thitikul rank 10^th in approach and 2^nd in GIR, as runner-up Danielle Kang ranked 2^nd in approach and 4^th in GIR.

• SG: Putting (bentgrass)
• Birdie-or-Better Percentage

The putter is always a key element in birdie-fests, and the Arkansas Championship has proved to be no different.

The top two combined their quality in approach with strength on the greens last year, with winner Jasmine Suwannapura ranking 5^th on the greens and Lucy Li in 2^nd ranking 6^th.

Haeran Ryu ranked 14^th on the greens when she won in 2023 and Jeeno Thitikul was similarly strong in 2022, ranking 9^th.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Dana Open (Highland Meadows Golf Club)

Highland Meadows is a non-penal tree-lined course that often sees low winning scores. This has enabled it to develop strong form ties with Pinnacle Country Club.

Notable correlating form:

Nasa Hataoka:

Arkansas (1^st, 1^st) / Dana (1^st)

Jasmine Suwannapura:

Arkansas (1^st) / Dana (1^st)

So Yeon Ryu:

Arkansas (1^st, 2^nd) / Dana (1^st, 2^nd)

Na Yeon Choi:

Arkansas (1^st) / Dana (1^st)

Haeran Ryu:

Arkansas (1^st) / Dana (2^nd)

Austin Ernst:

Arkansas (1^st, 2^nd) / Dana (4^th, 5^th)

Danielle Kang:

Arkansas (2^nd, 2^nd) / Dana (1^st)

Lucy Li:

Arkansas (2^nd) / Dana (4^th)

Hyo Joo Kim:

Arkansas (2^nd) / Dana (4^th, 5^th)

Linnea Strom:

Arkansas (2^nd) / Dana (5^th)

Amy Yang:

Arkansas (2^nd) / Dana (5^th)

Azahara Munoz:

Arkansas (2^nd, 3^rd) / Dana (8^th, 9^th)

Sei Young Kim:

Arkansas (3^rd, 3^rd) / Dana (1^st)

Meijer LPGA Classic (Blythefield Country Club)

As a hilly course with generous, tree-lined fairways and frequent elevation changes, the low-scoring Meijer LPGA Classic is a reliable guide for this week.

Notable correlating form:

So Yeon Ryu:

Arkansas (1^st, 2^nd) / Meijer (1^st)

Nasa Hataoka:

Arkansas (1^st, 1^st) / Meijer (2^nd)

Jeeno Thitikul:

Arkansas (1^st) / Meijer (5^th)

Amy Yang:

Arkansas (2^nd) / Meijer (3^rd, 5^th)

Moriya Jutanugarn:

Arkansas (2^nd, 4^th) / Meijer (4^th)

Brittany Altomare:

Arkansas (3^rd, 5^th) / Meijer (2^nd, 3^rd)

Azahara Munoz:

Arkansas (2^nd, 3^rd) / Meijer (4^th, 8^th)

Sei Young Kim:

Arkansas (3^rd, 3^rd) / Meijer (1^st)

Portland Classic (Columbia Edgewater Country Club)

Columbia Edgewater is another tree-lined course with generous fairways and is close in length to Pinnacle Country Club. The fast greens are similar in size and with many exciting risk/reward holes, it is worth checking the Portland Classic out for clues.

Notable correlating form:

Stacy Lewis:

Arkansas (1^st, 1^st) / Portland (1^st)

Austin Ernst:

Arkansas (1^st) / Portland (1^st)

So Yeon Ryu:

Arkansas (1^st, 2^nd) / Portland (3^rd)

Nasa Hataoka:

Arkansas (1^st, 1^st) / Portland (4^th)

Jasmine Suwannapura:

Arkansas (1^st) / Portland (5^th)

Moriya Jutanugarn:

Arkansas (2^nd, 4^th) / Portland (1^st, 3^rd, 3^rd)

Candie Kung:

Arkansas (2^nd) / Portland (2^nd)

Eun-hee Ji:

Arkansas (2^nd) / Portland (5^th)

Brittany Altomare:

Arkansas (3^rd, 5^th) / Portland (3^rd, 3^rd)

Azahara Munoz:

Arkansas (2^nd, 3^rd) / Portland (5^th)

FM Championship (TPC Boston)

With wide, tree-lined fairways, speedy bentgrass greens and lots of water in play, the rolling hills of TPC Boston are a sound comp for this test.

Notable correlating form:

Haeran Ryu:

Arkansas (1^st) / FM Championship (1^st)

Jeeno Thitikul:

Arkansas (1^st) / FM Championship (4^th)

Sei Young Kim:

Arkansas (3^rd, 3^rd) / FM Championship (3^rd)

Arpichaya Yubol:

Arkansas (4^th) / FM Championship (6^th)

Carlota Ciganda:

Arkansas (6^th, 10^th) / FM Championship (10^th)

Kroger Queen City Championship (TPC River's Bend)

I'll finish with Kroger Queen City Championship host, TPC River's bend. This undulating layout features wide fairways, similarly-sized bentgrass greens, and it has succumbed to low scoring in the two editions held there.

Notable correlating form:

Lydia Ko:

Arkansas (1^st) / Kroger Queen (1^st)

Jeeno Thitikul:

Arkansas (1^st) / Kroger Queen (2^nd)

Haeran Ryu:

Arkansas (1^st) / Kroger Queen (3^rd)

Nasa Hataoka:

Arkansas (1^st, 1^st) / Kroger Queen (5^th)

Yuka Saso:

Arkansas (4^th) / Kroger Queen (4^th)

Yealimi Noh:

Arkansas (8^th) / Kroger Queen (9^th)

THE FIELD

A stronger field than usual will tee it up in Arkansas this week, including four of the world's top 10 and 17 of the top 25. No. 2 Nelly Korda is the top-ranked player in attendance, with that quartet of top-10 players rounded out by Miyu Yamashita (No. 6), Hyo Joo Kim (No. 9) and Mao Saigo (No. 10).

Jasmine Suwannapura will defend her title and is one of five former champions teeing it up, alongside Haeran Ryu (2023), Nasa Hataoka (2021, 2018), Sung Hyun Park (2019) and Stacy Lewis (2014, 2007).

Lottie Woad makes her debut in the event and will move inside the world's top 10 for the first time if she has a positive week. Meanwhile, current No. 30 amateur Kendall Todd – who finished 3^rd in last year's U.S. Women's Amateur – will play against the pros for the first time after coming through local qualifying.

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders:  Nelly Korda 9/1, Miyu Yamashita 11/1, Lottie Woad 12/1, Sei Young Kim 16/1, Rio Takeda 18/1, Hye-Jin Choi 18/1 

1.75 pts Akie Iwai each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 25/1

Akie Iwai played largely solid golf over the first two days last week, but she missed the cut due to a couple of uncharacteristically sloppy holes to begin and end her second round. She's a player who makes a lot of birdies, aided by her high-class iron play, and having won her first LPGA title at the correlating Portland Classic, she can bounce back in Arkansas to become the season's first multiple champion.

Iwai has continually impressed throughout her rookie season, finishing 2^nd in the Honda LPGA Thailand and JM Eagle LA Championship earlier in the year, before winning the Portland Classic with a 24-under-par winning score last month. She backed that up with a 4^th-place finish in the CPKC Women's Open and then finished 24^th in the FM Championship.

Although she failed to make the weekend at TPC River's Bend, she made nine birdies across the first two rounds and looked set to make the cut comfortably. However, a triple-bogey seven on her final hole in round two sent her tumbling below the cutline for just the second time since May.

She does everything to a decent standard, but particularly excels with her irons, ranking 6^th in approach and 13^th in greens-in-regulation. Her solid putting, ranking 57^th, complements the iron play and assists her in ranking 3^rd in birdie-or-better percentage.

That shows that Iwai has the firepower to score heavily around this layout and with her victory in Portland acting as a perfect pointer, I expect her to be amongst the top contenders at Pinnacle Country Club.

1.25 pts Jennifer Kupcho each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1

Jennifer Kupcho is another player looking for her second victory of 2025 and arriving after a 5^th-place finish in Ohio last week, the American’s game is clearly in great shape. She’s performed strongly here in the past and with comp form better than most, she should be one of the frontrunners in Arkansas.

Kupcho only recorded her first top-10 of the season in the Shoprite Classic, but that did come courtesy of her claiming her fourth LPGA victory. She’s maintained form since, finishing 11^th in the Evian Championship and 23^rd in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, before picking up that second top-10 of the season at TPC River’s Bend on Sunday.

She is a player who excels with the driver, ranking 11^th in 2025. Although her approach stats aren’t overly impressive this season, her combination of high greens-in-regulation numbers (ranking 23^rd) and quality on the greens (ranking 29^th), sees her make plenty of birdies – ranking 5^th in birdie-or-better percentage.

This is a skillset that has served Kupcho well at Pinnacle Country Club in the past, finishing 16^th in 2021 and 7^th last year. In addition, owning a victory in the Meijer LPGA Classic and top-six finishes in the Dana Open, Kroger Queen City Championship and FM Championship, she has form in many of the right places.

1 pt Ayaka Furue each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 45/1

Having picked up just three top-10 finishes, Ayaka Furue hasn’t quite been at her best in 2025. That being said, several recent events have been played on lengthier layouts that wouldn’t necessarily suit this short-hitter. She should appreciate this more gettable course and continuing to display class in approach and putting, her price is an appealing one this week.

Furue has only missed five cuts in 20 starts this season but compared to how she’s played in the previous two years – recording 26 top-10 finishes across 59 starts globally – her tally of three top-10s in 2025 is no doubt disappointing. Her most recent of those came eight starts ago in the Shoprite LPGA Classic, finishing 4^th, though she did play well when 13^th in the FM Championship two starts ago and she can build on that here.

The Japanese major winner ranked 3^rd in approach at TPC Boston, and this has been her best-performing area all season, ranking 22^nd. She also ranks 15^th in greens-in-regulation, 44^th in putting, and at 39^th in birdie-or-better percentage, she hasn’t lost her ability to make birdies.

Furue impressed here on debut in 2022, firing rounds of 68-67-67 to finish 16^th and with a 3^rd-place finish in the Portland Classic providing further encouragement, she could just spark into life in Arkansas.

0.75 pts Julia Lopez Ramirez each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 90/1

Julia Lopez Ramirez was going along nicely for a long time when we were on in the Kroger Queen City Championship before eventually finishing 38^th. This is just the latest evidence that this former No. 1 amateur is starting to find her feet in the pro ranks, and with her approach play also improving of late, she’s worth another shot in Arkansas.

Ramirez is still less than 12 months a pro but immediately earned her spot on the LPGA after finishing 10^th in the LPGA Q-Series last year. She made an inauspicious start to her rookie season, missing four of her first five cut, but she has only missed another four in her next 13.

Her standout performance came in the Women’s Scottish Open, finishing 3^rd and she looked comfortable in the majors, finishing 19^th in the U.S. Women’s Open, 28^th in the Evian Championship and 36^th in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She finished 28^th two starts ago in the FM Championship and though a final-round 75 saw her slip to 38^th at the end of last week, two 67s in her first three rounds had her just five off the lead going into the final round.

Whilst she excels with the driver, ranking 2^nd off-the-tee and 1^st in driving distance, she’s also a top-class putter, ranking 29^th on the greens. However, it’s her approach play – an area in which she ranks 121^st for the season – that has really caught my eye of late, showing improvements in the FM Championship before ranking 10^th last week.

If Lopez Ramirez can maintain form with her irons she certainly has the arsenal to take Pinnacle Country Club apart, which could help her become the 26^th different winner on the LPGA in 2025.

0.75 pts Chanettee Wannasaen each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 125/1

Chanettee Wannasaen’s birdie-making prowess was well on show in last week’s Kroger Queen City Championship, as she began with rounds of 63-68 to hold the 36-hole lead. She struggled over the weekend to eventually fall to 38^th, but there was enough to tempt me into giving her another shot at what should be a very suitable challenge.

Wannasaen was in strong form in the middle part of the season, recording five top-20 finishes in seven starts from the end of April to June. This included finishing 18^th in our first major of the season, the Chevron Championship, and after two top-10s in the Black Desert Championship and Meijer LPGA Classic, she finished 2^nd in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – the best major finish of her career.

Her form faltered following that, but she did show promise three starts ago in the CPKC Women’s Open, finishing 36^th, and there was much to like about last week’s performance.

She was the best iron player in the field in Ohio, returning to some of the form she was displaying earlier in the year. It’s with the driver she has excelled overall, ranking 34^th and as a solid putter who ranks 20^th in birdie-or-better percentage, she’ll be a major danger if able to replicate anything close to that latest effort in approach.

Wannasaen has only played this event once before, shooting three under-par rounds to finish 48^th in 2023. However, with both of her tour victories coming in low-scoring conditions at the correlating Portland Classic and Dana Open – won with scores of -26 and -20 respectively – I am confident she has the game to improve that debut result.

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