For the more prestigious championships it is often the course or the history, while for others it is less subtle marketing (case in point, the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open).

In Arkansas each year the LPGA’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G is not only in the running for longest tournament name on any schedule worldwide but also for the unique act of ‘Hog calling’.

The Pinnacle Golf Club’s par-3 17th hole has, over time, morphed into the spiritual home of this rather unusual and uniquely Arkansas ‘tradition’ where the call is performed as a group act.

The ‘hog call’ requires those involved to raise their arms and loudly chant ‘Wooo’ followed by ‘Pig Sooie’ as they bring their arms down.

When done in unison by a large group it can be a little confronting but for the most part the players embrace it and some even play along.

It will no doubt dominate the TV coverage again this year though hopefully doesn’t catch on in this part of the world.

RIGHT: Nasa Hataoka won this event for a second time last year. PHOTO: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Nasa Hataoka won her second title here by a stroke from Eun Hee Ji and Minjee Lee in 2021.

That was closer than her 2018 win when she was a six shot victor with a stunning 21-under-par total over the 54 holes, still the tournament record.

COURSE: Pinnacle Country Club started its life as Champions Club in 1990, an upscale housing development which is the home course of many of the executives of the title sponsor Walmart (the world’s largest public corporation, apparently).

It is unclear when the name was changed to Pinnacle, but what is known is that the original Don Sechrest/Bruce Lietzke design underwent major changes in 2008 at the hands of Randy Heckenkemper.

While the course has been home to this LPGA event since it was introduced to the schedule in 2007, the owners clearly cater to their year round market and that is reflected in the scoring.

The only time the winning total has not been double digits under par was the first year of the event when it was reduced to 18 holes because of bad weather.

When you consider this has always been a 54-hole event, that is a rather stunning statistic.

That first year Stacy Lewis, an amateur attending the nearby University of Arkansas at the time, was declared the winner with a seven-under 65.

The course par has since been changed to a par 71 but at a little under 6,000 metres a field of this calibre is always going to go low.

The standout holes at Pinnacle are the brutal par-5 14th (570 metres when all the way back though usually playing closer to 490 metres for the tournament) and the island green par-3 15th.

The 17th will get its fair share of attention also but that is more to do with the aforementioned ‘hog calling’ than anything of architectural merit.

RELATED: So-called expert golf tips for this week

PRIZEMONEY: US$2,300,000

PLAYERS TO WATCH: This tournament is a sprint and the players who make birdies in bunches will be the ones to watch this week.

In that category the defending champions is clear leader with 324 birdies so far for the year, one of only two players to have eclipsed the 300 mark.

Lydia Ko gets right into the "Hog Call" at the 17th hole. PHOTO: Jamie Squire/Getty Images.

Given she is already a two-time winner here and boasts three top-10 finishes in her last five starts, Nasa Hataoka will start a clear favourite.

However, it is a debutante at this event who might be among her biggest threats with the Thai star Atthaya Thitikul the only other golfer with more than 300 birdies for the season.

The 19-year-old is ranked fifth in the world yet has just one win on her LPGA resume, a state of affairs that is likely to change sooner than later.

Thitikul is sharp in every department of the game and seems destined to become the world’s No.1 ranked player at some point in her career.

Looking to go one better than her runner-up finish last year is our own Minjee Lee whose form has fallen away slightly since her commanding U.S. Open win.

That could change this week, her eighth appearance at a tournament where she has finished out of the top-10 only twice.

2016 winner Lydio Ko is a regular at the event having played every tournament since 2013.

While her last five appearance have yielded just one top-10 she finished T4, T2 and T6 in the three years before her victory so knows her way around the venue well enough.

Ko has been one of the most consistent performers of 2022 10 top-10 finishes in 17 starts though only one win to show for it and that came back in January.

With three top-fives and four top-10s in her last five starts it is perhaps time for Ko to again climb into the winner’s circle.

72-HOLE RECORD: 192 (-21, Nasa Hataoka, 2018)

72-HOLE RECORD: 61 (-10, So Yeon Ryu, 2017)

PAST AUSSIE WINNERS: No Australian has won this tournament.

AUSTRALIANS IN THE FIELD: Minjee Lee, Su Oh, Sarah Kemp, Steph Kyriacou and Karis Davidson.

TV TIMES*

Round 1: Saturday (Fox Sports 503 10am – 11am)
Round 2: Sunday (Fox Sports 503 2am – 5am)
Round 3: Monday (Fox Sports 503 2am – 5am)
*AEST, check local guides