2024 Kroger Queen City Championship

2024 Kroger Queen City Championship prize money payouts for each LPGA player

The first-place prize at TPC River’s Bend was $300,000.

Lydia Ko’s “surreal” stretch continued at the Kroger Queen City Championship, where the 27-year-old locked up her third official victory of the season, not including the Olympic gold medal.

Ko earned $300,000 for her efforts, giving her $2,569,317 this season and $19,512,009 in her career.

LPGA stats guru Justin Ray noted that Ko’s final-round bogey-free 63 is her 134th bogey-free round since 2014. That’s 50 more than anyone else during that span. Ko recorded only one bogey the entire week at TPC River’s Bend.

She now owns 22 LPGA career titles, the most among active players.

Kroger Queen City: Photos | Leaderboard

Here’s the prize money breakdown for LPGA players from the $2 million purse at the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship:

Pos.	Player	Score	Earnings
1	Lydia Ko	-23	$300,000
2	Jeeno Thitikul	-18	$183,381
3	Haeran Ryu	-17	$133,030
4	Yuka Saso	-16	$102,909
T5	Nelly Korda	-14	$75,301
T5	Hyo Joon Jang	-14	$75,301
T7	Gaby Lopez	-13	$53,212
T7	Albane Valenzuela	-13	$53,212
T9	Jin Hee Im	-12	$38,212
T9	Yealimi Noh	-12	$38,212
T9	Nanna Koerstz Madsen	-12	$38,212
T9	A Lim Kim	-12	$38,212
T9	Kristen Gillman	-12	$38,212
T14	Pajaree Anannarukarn	-11	$27,710
T14	Angel Yin	-11	$27,710
T14	Polly Mack	-11	$27,710
T14	Ashleigh Buhai	-11	$27,710
T14	Yan Liu	-11	$27,710
T19	Grace Kim	-10	$21,122
T19	Maria Fassi	-10	$21,122
T19	Lexi Thompson	-10	$21,122
T19	Charley Hull	-10	$21,122
T19	Sei Young Kim	-10	$21,122
T19	Anna Nordqvist	-10	$21,122
T19	Lindy Duncan	-10	$21,122
T19	Jasmine Suwannapura	-10	$21,122
T27	Minjee Lee	-9	$16,425
T27	Esther Henseleit	-9	$16,425
T27	Ryann O’Toole	-9	$16,425
T27	Savannah Grewal	-9	$16,425
T27	Stephanie Kyriacou	-9	$16,425
T32	Lucy Li	-8	$12,894
T32	Cheyenne Knight	-8	$12,894
T32	Pernilla Lindberg	-8	$12,894
T32	Perrine Delacour	-8	$12,894
T32	Linn Grant	-8	$12,894
T32	Jing Yan	-8	$12,894
T32	Bianca Pagdanganan	-8	$12,894
T39	Haeji Kang	-7	$9,839
T39	Azahara Munoz	-7	$9,839
T39	Mao Saigo	-7	$9,839
T39	Minji Kang	-7	$9,839
T39	Dewi Weber	-7	$9,839
T39	Frida Kinhult	-7	$9,839
T45	Linnea Strom	-6	$8,082
T45	Sophia Schubert	-6	$8,082
T45	Gabriela Ruffels	-6	$8,082
T45	Leona Maguire	-6	$8,082
T49	Celine Borge	-5	$6,641
T49	Georgia Hall	-5	$6,641
T49	Alexa Pano	-5	$6,641
T49	Alena Sharp	-5	$6,641
T49	Madelene Sagstrom	-5	$6,641
T49	Weiwei Zhang	-5	$6,641
T49	So Mi Lee	-5	$6,641
T56	Marina Alex	-4	$5,422
T56	Wei-Ling Hsu	-4	$5,422
T56	Muni He	-4	$5,422
T56	Peiyun Chien	-4	$5,422
T56	Matilda Castren	-4	$5,422
T61	Nasa Hataoka	-3	$4,568
T61	Minami Katsu	-3	$4,568
T61	Hinako Shibuno	-3	$4,568
T61	Robyn Choi	-3	$4,568
T61	Jaravee Boonchant	-3	$4,568
T61	Min Lee	-3	$4,568
T61	Ruixin Liu	-3	$4,568
T61	Laetitia Beck	-3	$4,568
T69	Morgane Metraux	-2	$4,003
T69	Gina Kim	-2	$4,003
T69	Gurleen Kaur	-2	$4,003
T69	Xiaowen Yin	-2	$4,003
T73	Kaitlin Milligan	E	$3,816
T73	Ssu-Chia Cheng	E	$3,816
T73	Jodi Ewart Shadoff	E	$3,816
76	Jeongeun Lee5	2	$3,721

Lydia Ko wins again at Kroger Queen City Championship, puts an end to retirement talk – for now

Incredibly, Ko had only one bogey the entire week at TPC River’s Bend.

Lydia Ko picked up right where she left off — winning. On the heels of an Olympic gold medal and the AIG Women’s British Open victory at St. Andrews, Ko added another first-place prize at the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship, topping the field by five strokes after a three-week break. Incredibly, she had only one bogey the entire week at TPC River’s Bend.

In her post-round interview with Golf Channel’s Amy Rogers, Ko called this stretch of golf “surreal” and put any talk of retirement on a back burner with a newish goal.

“I think it’s always been the goal of mine to do the career grand slam,” said Ko, who currently owns three different majors. “I thought that would be so out there.

“I feel like I’ve already been part of this fairytale, so why not?”

https://twitter.com/LPGA/status/1837944197372170261

The newest member of the LPGA Hall of Fame now owns 22 LPGA career titles. She has three LPGA official wins this season, plus the gold medal. Ko closed with a 9-under 63 to run away from former No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul. Ko finished at 23 under for the tournament.

Kroger Queen City: Photos | Leaderboard

This marks the first time since 2016 – when she claimed the JTBC Classic and Chevron Championship titles – the 27-year-old Kiwi has won in back-to-back starts on the LPGA.

She joins Nelly Korda as the only other player with at least three wins this season. Korda, who finished in a share of fifth in Cincinnati, won six times in the first half of the season and leads the Rolex Player of the Year list by 100 points. (Ko did not receive any POY points for her gold-medal performance in Paris, though she did get that valuable LPGA Hall of Fame point.)

Ko starts the fall season the same way she ended the summer, on a hot streak, extending her top-10 run to her last five consecutive starts, including the Olympics.

World No. 1 Korda will have three weeks at home before heading to South Korea for the LPGA’s BMW Ladies Championship. The LPGA heads to the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Sept. 27-29, before a four-event swing through China, Korea, Malaysia and Japan.

“I don’t think I had my best stuff, but played some solid golf here and there,” said Korda, who closed with a 68. “Definitely didn’t capitalize on the par-5s. I had a lot of irons in my hands and came out with pars. A little disappointing there.

“Overall, happy with the way I played coming off last week and my energy levels.”

South Korea’s Haeran Ryu birdied five consecutive holes on the back nine en route to a closing 67. She finished solo third.

Ko now immediately heads to South Korea to compete in the KLPGA’s Hana Financial Group Championship. As for retirement, Ko said she’s always looked up to the way Lorena Ochoa ended her career while still playing well. She’d rather leave the tour wondering if she could’ve won a few more rather than reach a point where she feels like she should’ve left the game long ago.

“I don’t know when that moment is right now,” she said. “I enjoyed these past three weeks and it was great being home and not to live out of my suitcase. While I’m competitively playing, it’s good to have goals. The career grand slam seems too far out there, but what has happened the past couple months has been that extent of craziness, I guess.

“So I just wanted to set a goal that was something that I can work towards and whether that’s happens or not isn’t as important. It’s just more the drive for me to keep wanting to put myself in contention and hopefully be the one holding the trophy at the end of the week more and more after this week as well.”

While Jeeno Thitikul leads the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship, Lydia Ko lurks just two back

Sunday is going to be fun.

Jeeno Thitikul might have a two-shot lead after 54 holes of the LPGA’s 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship, but her closest chaser is the newest member of the league’s Hall of Fame.

Lydia Ko, who won the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews in her last start, shot a third-round 3-under 69 around TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio, on Saturday and is alone in second, two back of Thitikul’s lead.

The Kiwi started her day with a bogey but made the turn with an even-par 36 thanks to a birdie on No. 8. After making the turn, Ko added birdies on Nos. 10, 14 and 18 to guarantee her spot in Sunday’s final group.

Kroger Queen City: Photos

Thitikul was one better than Ko on Day 3, posting a 4-under 68 that consisted of three birdies on each side plus back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17. Since missing the cut at the Evian Championship, Thitikul has tied for 17th at the Women’s Open and finished T-4 at the FM Championship in Boston.

Yan Liu is alone in third at 13 under, three back, while Albane Valenzuela and Haeran Ryu are tied for fourth at 12 under, four back.

Final-round coverage will be on Golf Channel from 1-4 p.m. ET.

America’s best player at Solheim Cup is lone golfer of 11 in LPGA field this week to miss the cut

What Solheim Cup fatigue?

Just four days removed from a dramatic international competition there were 11 players from the Solheim Cup – eight Europeans, three Americans – teeing it up in the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship near Cincinnati.

After 36 holes, 10 of those 11 made the cut. What Solheim Cup fatigue?

The lone player to not make the weekend was the most successful one at the Solheim Cup. Rose Zhang, just the eighth different player and only the third different American in Solheim Cup history to finish 4-0-0 or better, shot 73-71 to finish even par and miss the cut by a shot. Her Friday 71 featured two eagles over the span of three holes – the par-6 sixth and the par-5 eighth – but it was a double bogey on the par-4 15th that was ultimately the deciding factor.

QUEEN CITY: Live updates | Photos | Leaderboard

The other two Americans from last week’s biennial competition playing this week at TPC River’s Bend is Nelly Korda, who is tied for 15th (67-70) and Lexi Thompson, tied for 52nd (71-71). The top player from Europe so far this week is Anna Nordqvist, who shot 71-65 and is tied for eighth.

Pos.	Golfer	Solheim Cup team	Score
T-8	Anna Nordqvist	Europe	8 under
T-8	Albane Valenzuela	Europe	8 under
T-15	Nelly Korda	U.S.	7 under
T-23	Leona Maguire	Europe	6 under
T-23	Madelene Sagstrom	Europe	6 under
T-33	Charley Hull	Europe	4 under
T-47	Linn Grant	Europe	3 under
T-52	Georgia Hall	Europe	2 under
T-52	Esther Henseleit	Europe	2 under
T-52	Lexi Thompson	U.S.	2 under
T-77	Rose Zhang*	U.S.	even

The cut was 1 under. Along with Zhang, these notables are getting the weekend off: Aditi Ashok, Danielle Kang, Mina Harigae, Emma Talley, Amy Yang, Sophia Popov and 16-year-old Gianna Clemente, an Ohio-area junior golfer who was in the field on a sponsor exemption.

Lydia Ko continues her 2024 surge at Kroger Queen City Championship

Ko has turned on the jets and she’s not slowing down.

Lydia Ko has turned on the jets. And she’s not slowing down.

Ko shot a second-round 66 to vault into the clubhouse lead at the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship outside Cincinnati on Friday. Coupled with her Thursday 67 and Ko was at 11 under heading into the weekend. Late in the day, Jeeno Thitikul shot her second straight 66 to reach 12 under, so she’ll take a one-shot lead into the weekend over Ko.

Ko recent run comes after four straight top-10 finishes, including a win at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews. Oh yeah, she also won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

“I obviously came off an amazing three-week stretch in Europe,” Ko said. “I wanted to make sure that I kind of came back to the ground and work on the basics and the things I’ve been working on the past few months. Winning at the British and playing well at the Scottish [T-9] and winning the gold in Paris, it wasn’t just the work I put in the week before. Every week it’s been incremental improvement. You hope to pull it off one week, and it happened to be two of the biggest weeks in my schedule this year.”

QUEEN CITY: Live updates | Photos | Leaderboard

Her win at the Olympics secured the final points she needed for entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Her victory 15 days later in the Women’s Open, her third career major, was icing on the cake. Now she’s seeking her 22nd LPGA win and third this season.

“The golf course is getting firmer just because it is pretty warm out here. Being smart with the club selection off the tee and just knowing which ones I should be aggressive and which ones I should be a little bit more conservative,” she said. “I feel like I set myself a good plan going into the week so that’s what I’m going to stick to. I know there is still a lot of golf to be played so just focus on me and I think that’s the biggest thing that I’ve been doing well these past month or so. So just stick to that.”

Photos: 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship at TPC River’s Bend

It’s the first of just nine LPGA tournaments left in 2024.

It was the first post-Solheim Cup event on the LPGA schedule and the first of just nine tournaments left in 2024.

The Kroger Queen City Championship was staged for the third time but for the first time at TPC River’s Bend, the third time the LPGA has played a tournament at a TPC course.

Lydia Ko shot a final-round 63 to win by five shots, her third win of the LPGA season and 22nd in her career.

Kroger Queen City Championship: Field | Leaderboard

Check out some photos from the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship.

With the Solheim Cup in the rearview, Nelly Korda jokes she has to ‘hate all the girls’ at LPGA in Queen City

The team atmosphere is over. Korda’s back to being the hunted with a target on her back.

MAINEVILLE, Ohio − Many LPGA golfers enjoy the change of pace that comes with team events on the tour.

Last week, World No. 1 Nelly Korda helped lead Team USA to its first Solheim Cup win since 2017. Korda may have cherished that title even more than the half-dozen wins she’s logged on the LPGA Tour this year.

“It’s very hard to compare the two. Maybe a little bit more fun, I would say,” Korda said. “It’s just so different having a teammate out there that you can have fun with and also rely on. It’s just a little bit less pressure and a lot more fun.”

A fatigued Korda took to the tee box at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Korda didn’t let a lack of sleep spiral into costly mistakes.

Korda, paired with reigning Kroger Queen City Championship winner Minjee Lee and Jeeno Thitikul, fired a bogey-free 67. She was perfect hitting fairways (14-for-14) and found 14-of-18 greens in regulation. Three of her five birdies came during a six-hole stretch. Her birdie on No. 18 gave her a 67, putting her two shots off the pace of leader Ashleigh Buhai.

Korda has made history this season as just the fourth player on tour to win six times before June, joining a trio of Hall-of-Famers in Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs and Lorena Ochoa. Now the 26-year-old American has to switch gears heading into this week during her first appearance in the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G.

Kroger Queen City Championship: Field | Leaderboard | Photos

The team atmosphere from last week’s triumph in Gainesville, Virginia, is over. She’s back to being the hunted with a target on her back.

“Hate all the girls again,” Korda joked on Wednesday when asked about the mindset switch when it’s back to individual stroke play.

LPGA golfer, Nelly Korda, putts on the 8th green during the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championships at TPC River Bend golf course in Maineville, Ohio, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. Korda, from Bradenton, Florida, finished the day with a 67 and -5.

Her LPGA rivals won’t turn from friend-to-foe completely. In reality, Korda has climbed to the top of the rankings by locking in. She’ll follow that same formula in Cincinnati.

“Just really have to be precise and diligent on hitting your targets and focusing on that,” Korda said. “Just go out and enjoy myself, play some good golf, stay in my bubble and take it a shot at a time.”

More: Here’s what LPGA players said about TPC River’s Bend for Kroger Queen City Championship

Cincinnati is quick turnaround for Solheim Cup competitors

The only thing that seemingly could stop Korda this week is jet lag.

It was a tough turnaround for the 11 Solheim Cup competitors making the trip to Maineville this week to TPC River’s Bend for the penultimate event on the current American leg of the LPGA Tour.

Add in a celebration Sunday night for the Solheim Cup victory and many of the world’s best are running on fumes to start the tournament.

“My energy levels are definitely running in the lower 50s,” Rose Zhang said. “Not only was last week really taxing on the mental part of the game, but we were also functioning on five, six hours of sleep every single day.”

Thankfully for Korda, she’s an avid coffee fan and doesn’t waste time sightseeing before events. She cut off celebrating the Solheim Cup early Sunday night, took a noon flight, got to Cincinnati around 2 p.m. on Monday, got to her rental house and chilled.

“I’ve spent a lot more time in my bed this week than normal. I try to conserve my energy a good bit,” Korda said. “I’ve just been resting.”

Water hazards could be major factor as LPGA moves to new Ohio venue at TPC River’s Bend

Water comes into play with large, naturalized swales and streams on nine holes, the majority on the front nine.

MAINEVILLE, Ohio − A $2 million purse is up for grabs between some of the LPGA’s top golfers this week at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G.

This year’s field is the “deepest and strongest it’s ever been,” according to Tournament Director Emily Norell as the event moves to TPC River’s Bend in Maineville.

The Arnold Palmer-designed course is a 6,700-yard, par-72 course that opened in 2001. Over the last 23 years, the venue has been home to the PGA Tour (Kroger Classic), Korn Ferry Tour (Chiquita Classic) and the Epson Tour (Prasco Charity Championship).

The LPGA enters the fold this week with top players like World No. 1 Nelly Korda and reigning champion Minjee Lee looking to conquer a few obstacles the course presents.

Golfers have to hone in on yardages

Accuracy is obviously going to be a key factor any time you step on the golf course. At TPC River’s Bend, making sure yardages are exact will be paramount for golfers looking to climb the leaderboard.

Kroger Queen City Championship: Field | Leaderboard | Photos

“The greens are a little smaller and the greens do have, on the front nine, a little bit more undulation (rises and dips in elevation),” said Korda, who is making her Cincinnati debut after collecting six LPGA Tour titles this year.

Mapping out the key areas to land on the green will be critical due to those rises and dips. Golfers will need find small targets and commit to their line.

More: Here’s what to watch for in the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship

“It seems like a ball-strikers’ course. Greens are very sloped, equally quick and you really need to know where to place the ball,” Rose Zhang said. “Utilizing the slopes to certain pin locations, that I’m sure the officials are going to be placing, makes for more creativity when you’re out there.”

Christina Kim of the United States looks on during the first round of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G 2024 at TPC River’s Bend on September 19, 2024 in Maineville, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

‘Birdie chances out there’ for long hitters

Korda noted that she could tell it’s been a dry summer in Cincinnati and the grounds crew has spent plenty of time watering the course. That will make the ground softer in the mornings and firmer in the afternoons.

Korda leads the LPGA Tour in numerous statistical categories and is the only player gaining at least a half stroke per round this season on shots off the tee, approach shots and putts.

Charley Hull, who is fourth in strokes gained off the tee, said the course sets up well for players who can hit deep drives off the tea.

More: ‘It’s in the family.’ Ohio native Gianna Clemente living LPGA dream with dad as caddie

“I think there are quite a few birdie chances out there, as well. It plays into longer hitter’s hands. It’s quite a nice golf course,” Korda said.

TPC River’s Bend features a lot of water

Water on the golf course makes for picture-perfect scenery but can be a nightmare for golfers looking to avoid costly bogeys.

Water comes into play with large, naturalized swales and streams on nine holes, the majority on the front nine.

“I think it’s super pretty here. It’s a different change of scenery. There is obviously a lot of hazards, a lot of places that you have to be careful of,” Zhang said.

Spectators get fantastic view on 9, 18

Last year’s Kroger Queen City Championship came down to a two-hole playoff between Lee and Hull. If there’s another thrilling finish this year, fans will have a great view of 18.

The stadium-style course has “wide sweeping fairways, mounding and playing surfaces lower than the spectator views,” according to the tournament. A panoramic view high above the ninth and 18th hole overlook the course and offer a great view for fans.

The par-5 18th hole is exciting on its own, offering players the chance to be aggressive and go for it if they want to make a move on the leaderboard. Golfers will have to judge how much of the corner they want to cut off from a partially-blind, uphill tee shot.

With risk comes the reward of a nice birdie opportunity. It can also be costly as a miss to the right could land you in a bunker off the fairway, a lateral hazard or out of bounds entirely. Missing the fairway on 18 is expected to cost players more than a quarter of a stroke, according to tournament notes.

16-year-old Ohio native Gianna Clemente is living the LPGA dream with dad as caddie at Kroger

“Just to be on tour, week to week like this, this has been my dream since I was a little kid.”

When Gianna Clemente was first introduced to golf as a toddler, the stakes were not quite as high as the LPGA.

Range sessions with her father, Patrick, included friendly wagers over a bag of M&Ms or a Snickers.

“She grew up on the golf course. It’s in the family to be at the club all the time,” said Patrick, who played college golf at Youngstown State. “We tried to keep it fun.”

Patrick had no idea his daughter would show the strive and passion to become a rising star in the sport. He’s been able to see every step of the journey pulling double duty as dad and caddie.

“Golf started as something that I just wanted to be around my dad,” Clemente said. “Deep down, he loves caddying. He wants to be out here just as much as I do.”

‘There was this drive and fire’

Gianna Clemente sizes up a putt on the18th green during the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship at TPC River Bend in Maineville, Ohio. (Liz Dufour/The Enquirer)

Clemente, 16, is the top-ranked amateur in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She won the American Junior Golf Association’s Mizuho Americas Open in May and helped lead Team USA to the U.S. Ping Junior Solheim Cup title Sept. 10. She received a sponsor invite to the Kroger Queen City Championship this week at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, her sixth career LPGA Tour event.

Kroger Queen City Championship: Field | Leaderboard | Photos

In 2022, Clemente played in the inaugural Kroger Queen City Championship at Kenwood Country Club at 14 years old, becoming just the second player ever (Hee-Won Han) to Monday qualify for three consecutive LPGA events.

This time around, there’s no early-week pressure as she’s secured a spot in the field amongst the game’s best.

“Just to be on tour, week to week like this, this has been my dream since I was a little kid,” Clemente said in her pre-tournament press conference Tuesday.

It’s a dream that began with countless hours with dad between Squaw Creek and Avalon Lakes Golf Course in Trumbull County. Other sports like gymnastics and softball didn’t stick the way golf did. By the age of 10, she had won two major junior championships. At 11, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur and wasn’t fazed by the slew of cameras and media attention that came along with it.

“There was just this drive and fire. It was almost like she liked that attention. I thought that was a little unique,” Patrick said. “Everybody is nervous, but I thought the way she handled being put on that stage at a really young stage was different.”

‘I try not to be dad at all’

2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur — Gianna Clemente of the United States reacts with her caddie Patrick Clemente after saving par on the No. 9 green during round two of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Thursday, April 4, 2024. David Paul Morris/Augusta National

The journey has been a process for Patrick, too. Trying to juggle the roles of dad and caddie was a hard hurdle to clear early on. He started as Clemente’s swing coach, but knew she had to pave her own way eventually.

“As a family and a support system, we’re smart enough to know that she needs to make her own path,” he said.

The secret? Patrick doesn’t let the dad role come out at all inside the ropes. In addition to a full-time swing coach, Clemente is coached by Jorge Parade from Liberty National. Patrick has backed out of anything swing-related and is focused on a game management role from the bag.

“Somehow, we’ve found a way to compartmentalize a little bit,” Patrick said. “On the course, if dad comes out, it doesn’t work. It’s knowing when to let her be or walk 50 yards ahead to let her work with a coach while I stay out of the way. That’s a healthy thing. Somehow, we still get along.”

‘This is his dream, too’

2023 U.S. Women's Amateur — Gianna Clemente smiles while walking to the hole eight tee box during the second round of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA)

When she first qualified for the Canadian Women’s Open in 2022, Clemente stepped on the putting green for the first time and was somewhat star-struck.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” she laughed.

Clemente has pictures with the likes of Morgan Pressel, Paula Reto and Lexi Thompson from her days with dad at the Dana Open in Toledo. When she found herself playing against her idols, nerves were initially at an all-time high.

“It takes time for those (nerves) to wear off,” Clemente said.

It’s all part of the gig now for both Clemente and Patrick. She dreamed of teeing it up with the best women’s golfers on the planet. He never thought he’d caddie at places like Augusta National.

“It’s amazing for me but I know it’s even cooler for him,” Clemente said. “This is his dream, too.”

Solheim Cup champs Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang headline field at Kroger Queen City Championship as LPGA returns

Fresh off the 2024 Solheim Cup, the LPGA is right back at it this week.

There will be 11 players competing in the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G in Maineville, Ohio, outside Cincinnati.

Three of those – Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang – are from the winning American side, set to play just five days after hoisting the trophy.

“Gosh, it was such an unbelievable and crazy week,” Korda said. “It was just overall so much fun with our caddies, with the assistants, Stacy, the helpers, with the girls, too. That was my fourth Solheim Cup, and obviously it was sweeter to get the victory at the end of the week, but also such an amazing week with the girls.”

But now it’s back to LPGA competition where she’ll be battling her American teammates.

“Just hate all the girls again,” she quipped, which brought laughs to media center. “Coming out here and competing, doing what I love just gives me a little bit more energy boost.”

The eight Europeans in the field are Linn Grant, Georgia Hall, Esther Henseleit, Charley Hull, Leona Maguire, Anna Nordqvist, Madelene Sagstrom and Albane Valenzuela.

This is the third playing of the event but the first time that the Arnold Palmer-designed TPC River’s Bend is the host course following two years at Kenwood Country Club. It’s just the third time the LPGA has played a tournament at a TPC venue. Just last month, the inaugural FM Championship was at TPC Boston. The 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown was at TPC Harding Park.

Minjee Lee is the defending champion this week. She took down Charley Hull on the second playoff hole a year ago.

There are four sponsor exemptions in the event: Amari Avery, Gianna Clemente, Gabrielle Woods (who won the Div. II individual NCAA championship last season playing for Findlay) and Yana Wilson, a former No. 1-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

The Kroger is the first of the remaining nine events on the LPGA’s 2024 schedule.