ROGERS — Juli Inkster is back on the golf course, finally.
Inkster has won 31 LPGA tournaments, including seven majors, but the 52-year-old has been sidelined the past six months after suffering the first major injury of her career last year.
Inkster had elbow surgery in January and it was the first time in her 29-year professional career that she was away from the course for an extended time period. Doctors repaired a torn tendon and damaged ulnar nerve in her right elbow.
Inkster is part of a star-laden field this week at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club.
“It’s good to be back,” Inkster said. “It feels great. I haven’t had any setbacks.”
Inkster started chipping and putting two months after the surgery and she started hitting balls in late April.
Inkster knew she had a problem during the 2011 season and tried to play through it. But she was eventually told she had a torn tendon and she opted to have surgery.
“I was in a cast for a couple of months,” Inkster said. “I missed it. I missed the competition, I missed the playing. But it was also great being home. I watched a lot of sports. I don’t think I missed a football game.”
Inkster was told her rehab would take four to six months and one of her goals this year was to play in the Women’s U. S. Open, which is next week in Wisconsin. That made playing in this week’s tournament in Rogers a major part of her rehab program.
Inkster has played in the last 22 Women’s U.S. Opens and 30 in all. This is the last year of her 10-year exemption into the event, which she earned by winning the 2002 U.S. Open.
“I wanted to play the Open, and I wanted this to be my first tournament back,” Inkster said. “I’m very happy it’s a three-day tournament. I don’t know what to expect this week. Getting into playing mode is going to be the hardest part.”
Tour veteran Brittany Lang, who picked up her first victory last week at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Ontario, Canada, said Inkster’s return is a plus for the LPGA.
“I think the world of Juli, and I look up to her,” Lang said. “She gets so much support from the fans. It can only help the tour and I am glad to see her back out.”
Pro-Am
The final two pro-am tournaments will be held today with tee times beginning at 7 a.m. and noon off of holes No. 1 and No. 10.
Two-time defending Walmart NW Arkansas Championship winner Yani Tseng, the No. 1 ranked player on tour, will tee off No. 1 at 12:20 p.m. Former Arkansas golfer Stacy Lewis, the No. 2 ranked player on tour, will be in the next group off No. 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Other notable tee times include Michelle Wie, who will go off No. 1 at 8:40 a.m., while defending U.S. Open champion So Yeon Ryu tees off No. 1 at 2:10.
Purple Ambition
Haru Nomura has a new, radical look that she hopes brings her some luck this week.
The second-year LPGA player said she dyed her hair purple last week after another Japanese golfer encouraged her to do it.
Nomura’s hair was dyed blond at the time, but she was willing to make the change after her friend said purple was her favorite color.
“Her senior player that she looks up to told her to make it to this color, so she did it,” said Yosh Komiya, who serves as Nomura’s interpreter.
Nomura said she likes to dye her hair different colors to relieve the stress that comes with playing on the LPGA Tour. She has also had dyed her hair gray in the past, but this will be her first tournament with purple hair.
“She doesn’t know which color brings more luck,” Komiya said, smiling.
—ALEX ABRAMS