ROGERS, Ark. — Sarah Schmelzel went from the middle of the pack to a tie for the lead in just five holes Friday, closing with four straight birdies and an eagle for an 8-under 63 to match Minami Katsu in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

Alison Lee also finished strong with a birdie and an eagle and was among those one shot behind, just what she needed to see in her third tournament back from giving birth to a son in late April.

The scoring was low at Pinnacle Country Club, and that's what concerned Schmelzel. She went out in 34 and was at 2 under and seemingly going nowhere. But she knew she was coming up on some scoring holes, with short clubs into the green and two par 5s.

“You should at least have looks on all those because you have pretty short clubs in,” Schmelzel said. “I tol

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