ROGERS -- World Golf Hall of Famer Juli Inkster celebrated her birthday at Pinnacle Country Club for the second consecutive year.
Inkster, 57, shot an even-par 71 Saturday in the Northwest Arkansas Championship and goes into today's final round tied for 20th place at 5 under.
Inkster, who has 31 LPGA Tour victories, including seven major championships, does more than play these days.
She recently-finished her third stint as an on-course reporter at the men's U.S. Open for Fox, a job she said she enjoys but wishes there were just more tournaments for the network to carry.
"We just don't get a lot of time doing it," Inkster said. "The last one was in August and then there was this one, so everyone was learning all over again. Overall, I thought we did a great job, more prepared than before."
Inkster also has the task of repeating as captain for the United States Solheim Cup team in August at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa. The U.S. started the final day of the 2015 Cup down 10--6, but mounted a comeback to capture the victory 14.5-13.5.
"I think it's going to be another fun time," Inkster said. "I think it's going be rocking with it in the United States. I seriously think this will be the most attended Solheim Cup ever."
Sister act
Jessica Korda and her kid sister Nelly are playing in the same tournament, this week at the Northwest Arkansas Championship.
The Kordas are the daughters of former professional tennis players Petr Korda, who won the 1998 Australian Open, and Regina Raichrtova.
Nelly, 18, an LPGA rookie, tied for fifth, her season best, in the 2017 opener in the Bahamas. She played in the 2013 U.S. Women's Open as a 14-year old, finishing tied for 64th.
"Jessica and I have played in many tournaments together, so it's not only great playing with the best players in the world, it's great playing with my best friend out here," Nelly said.
The sisters don't discuss professional business too much, Nelly said, and that includes only a handful of tips from Jessica.
"I am my own individual person and so is she," Nelly said. "When we are together, we don't talk golf."
Jessica, 25th in the Rolex World Rankings, has finished ahead of Nelly in 5 of the 9 tournaments they have each played. They also tied for 31st at Kingsmill.
Barring anything funny like a disqualification or withdrawal, Jessica will get the best in a sixth tournament having made the cut in Rogers right on the 1 under line, while Nelly missed i stroke.
What's in a name?
First-round leader Sung Hyun Park, 23, opened with an 8-under 63 but posted a 2-over 73 to drop into a tie for 10th place after Saturday's second round. Park, from South Korea, is at 6 under, 10 shots off the lead.
Park is considered a rookie this year on the LPGA Tour, but she had four top-10 finishes in seven tournaments last year, including three in majors. She also won seven times and was the top earning player on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association.
Back home, she has the nicknames of "Namdalla," which translates to "I am different" and "Dan Gong," meaning "Shut up and attack."
On the website SeoulSisters.com, Beanpole Golf is listed as one of her sponsors,
Juli Inkster, 57, was impressed with the young South Korean after playing with her for two rounds.
"She can really pound the ball," Inkster said. "She's going to be quite the phenom."
Inkster, a World Golf Hall of Famer, was cautious about putting Park on too high of a pedestal.
"I've got 31 wins and seven majors," Inkster said. "Let's see her shoot for that."
How Arkansans fared
Former University of Arkansas, Fayetteville golfers Stacy Lewis and Gaby Lopez continued their strong play Saturday and easily made the 1-under cut.
Lewis is at 11 under after shooting a 6-under 65 and is five strokes behind So Yeon Ryu.
Lopez shot her second consecutive 3-under 68 to get to 6 under and a tie for 10th heading into today's final round.
"I talk about every shot [with my caddie] and I was really comfortable with what I was doing," Lopez said. "I believed that good things were going to come my way."
Lopez has won $82,288 in this her second season on the LPGA Tour with her highest finish a tie for seventh earlier this month at the ShopRite Classic.
Alana Uriell, the only amateur in the field, started the day tied for 72nd after an even-par 71 on Friday. The UA senior had a more difficult time Saturday, starting the second round with four consecutive bogeys on her way to a 2-over 39 on the front and a 2-over 73 to miss the cut by three strokes.
Regina Plasencia, who played her way into the tournament by winning one of the two Monday qualifier positions, impressed Saturday with a 4-under 67 after opening with a 9-over 80. Plasencia missed the cut by six strokes with a 36-hole total of 5-over 147.
LPGA Tour rookie Emily Tubert, a former teammate of Plasencia, shot a 9-over 81 to finish 11 over for the two days.
Going home early
The tournament's only two-time winner Yani Tseng (2010-2011) led the list of those missing the 1-under cut Saturday at the Northwest Arkansas Championship, as she was 2 over.
Other notables getting a headstart on this week's Women's PGA Championship in Olympia Fields, Ill., include:
Cheyenne Woods, niece of PGA Tour great Tiger Woods;
Brittany Lincicome, a two-time major winner who opened 2017 with a victory in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA classic;
Na Yeon Choi, who holed out from the 16th fairway for eagle to win the 2016 Northwest Arkansas Championship;
Paula Creamer, the 2012 U.S. Women's champion;
England's Laura Davies, a World Golf Hall of Famer;
Sports on 06/25/2017