Tag: Kroger Queen City Championship

Ruixin Liu battled more than the field to take early LPGA lead at Kroger Queen City Championship

“I don’t know how I did this good, but it happen and I’m very happy to take it.”

Managing allergies on the golf course can be a tough task, especially at the professional level.

Ruixin Liu made it look easy on Thursday at the Kroger Queen City Championship. The 24-year-old from China rode a hot putter all the way to the top of the leaderboard at 7 under despite admittedly feeling awful during the first round at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“I pretty much made everything except for hole No. 12,” said Liu, who was still dealing with allergies that hit so hard last week she was forced to withdraw from the Portland Classic. “That’s the only bad hole I played today, because my second shot was only like 18 feet to the hole for eagle and I three-putt that one.”

The China native who now lives in Orlando went bogey-free with seven birdies, including five on the front nine, and leads the tournament by one shot over Linnea Strom and Dottie Ardina, who each shot rounds of 6-under 66. European Ryder Cuppers Charley Hull and Emily Kristine Pedersen are another shot back after a pair of 5-under 67s.

MORE: LPGA to help offset player expenses with new partnership

“I’m still a little not clear today,” Liu said of her health. “I don’t know how I did this good, but it happen and I’m very happy to take it.”

Photos: Kroger Queen City Championship

Liu, the Epson Tour Player of the Year in 2019, is staying humble and in the moment as she looks for her first win on the LPGA. Across 14 starts this season Liu has missed five cuts, withdrawn twice and has a best finish of T-9 at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational back in July.

“Well, I don’t want to give myself too much expectation because physically I don’t feel great, so I’m just going to take a good break, try to sleep good, and try to do the same thing tomorrow,” she added.

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Photos: LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship at Kenwood Country Club

A strong field has converged on Cincinnati for this LPGA tournament.

The 2023 Kroger Queen City Championship returns to Cincinnati for a second year in a row.

Ally Ewing won the inaugural event at Kenwood Country Club in 2022 and is among the big names who have returned. She’s joined in the field by Charley Hull, Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho.

Kenwood CC is a par 72 that’s playing 6,548 yards this week. After this event, the LPGA pauses for the Solheim Cup, Sept. 22-24 in Spain. Then there are just eight events left on the LPGA’s 2023 schedule. The next tournament is in three weeks at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

The Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, is providing Golfweek with photos of the event this week. Check out some of the images here.

What to watch for as LPGA returns to Cincinnati for the Queen City Championship

There are just eight events left on the LPGA’s 2023 schedule.

After consecutive events on the West Coast in Vancouver and Portland, the LPGA is back in the midwest for the Kroger Queen City Championship.

Kenwood Country Club in Madiera, Ohio, is officially the host venue for the second playing of this event. Ally Ewing won the inaugural tournament a year ago.

Thirteen of the top 25 LPGA golfers in the CME points race are in the field, as is No. 28-ranked Rose Zhang. There will be 144 players in the field competing for a purse of $2 million, with $300,000 going to the winner.

Check out some of the top storylines to follow this week, courtesy of Golfweek’s USA TODAY partner, the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Strong field

There have been 18 different winners on the LPGA in 2023 and 12 of them have made their way to the Queen City. The highest-ranked golfer in the field is No. 2 Ruoning Yin (KPMG Women’s PGA champ). She’s joined by No. 6 Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Open champ) and No. 15 Linn Grant, who won her first LPGA tournament earlier this year in Toledo. Last week’s winner on the LPGA, 19-year-old Chanettee Wannasaen, who won the Portland Classic as a Monday qualifier, will also be there.

In the homestretch

The Queen City Championship is one of the final eight events of the 2023 LPGA season. Since the U.S. Women’s Open in early July, the tour has held 10 events that took golfers to six different countries. Many golfers haven’t had a free weekend since June.

However, after this week, there is a break of about a month, with the LPGA returning Sep. 29.

Grant on a hot streak

Grant, a 24-year-old from Sweden, enters her first Kroger Queen City Championship playing the best golf of her career. She is currently No. 15 in the Rolex Rankings and No. 17 in the CME Rankings. Since her win in the Dana Open, she’s logged six consecutive top-20 finishes and had a top 10 in the CPKC Women’s Open and the Portland Classic

“I feel like it hasn’t changed at all. Obviously, I feel a bit more confident playing the regular weeks now, but kind of just kind of shake off that win and still be able to perform after that without being too excited about it,” Grant said. “I think I’m pretty good at every week kind of reset and figure out how I’m feeling, how my game is feeling, and kind of adjust to that.”

Ohio native Hammond has promising future

Earlier this summer, just five months after her 15th birthday, Mia Hammond made her LPGA debut, winning her qualifier to become the youngest player in the field at the Dana Open.

Hammond, a New Albany, Ohio, native and a sophomore at New Albany High School, tied for 26th as the only amateur in the field. Hammond’s father, Tom, is her coach and caddie and will be on the bag this week at the Kenwood Country Club. Hammond was given a sponsor invite.

“My goal remains the same: Just make the cut after the first two rounds and go from there. I’m just trying to take this experience all in and just enjoy it as much as possible,” Hammond said. “I don’t really have very high expectations for myself going into this week. Just to go out and have fun and just soak it all up.”

Xiyu Lin hopes to breakthrough

Last year, a 21-under 267 was not enough for Xiyu Lin of China to hoist the hardware as she fell by one stroke to Ewing. Lin, 27, is a top 15 golfer in the world, but has yet to win an LPGA event. In addition to Cincinnati last year, Lin’s been a runner-up four times over the last two years.

‘It’s huge’: Career-best finish in the Queen City vaults Maria Fassi up CME points list with eight events left

Maria Fassi was in the final pairing for the first time.

Last week at the Dana Open, Maria Fassi teed off around the same time as compatriot Gaby Lopez – off the back nine. The open layout at Highland Meadows allowed Fassi to see more than a few fist-pumps and walk-in putts from her friend and fellow Razorback en route to victory.

One week later, Fassi found herself playing in the final group on Sunday for the first time in her career at the new Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati.

Fassi poured in three consecutive birdies on Nos. 10-12 to apply pressure to Ally Ewing and Xiyu Lin at Kenwood Country Club.

“I think it backfired,” said Fassi, “because I pissed them off a little bit too much.”

Ewing responded with five consecutive birdies on Nos. 12-16, and Lin made four birdies over the last seven holes.

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Fassi’s closing 71 put her at 16 under for the tournament, six back of Ewing. The third-place finish marked Fassi’s career-best solo finish since she joined the tour in 2019.

Fassi came into the week ranked 96th on the CME points list and vaulted up to 67th. The top 100 keep their card for 2023 and the top 60 play in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

“It’s huge,” she said. “I mean, I’ve been with my back against the ropes all freaking year, so it’s pretty cool to at least, you know, be able to take a breather and be in a better place than I’ve been all year.”

Stacy Lewis and teammate Maria Fassi walk toward the fourth hole at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan. (Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Fassi birdied five of the last six holes on Friday to shoot 66 and carry great momentum into the weekend. She needed only 26 putts in the first two rounds and averaged 27 putts per round for the week, a significant improvement over her 30.28 average.

The soft conditions at Kenwood gave the explosive Fassi a distinct advantage, as she carried much of the trouble at the water-logged course. She averaged 300 yards off the tee for the week and leads the tour with a 278 average.

On Saturday, while wearing her Saturday Razorback red, Fassi unleashed a few fiery fist pumps of her own after holing a flop shot for eagle on the par-5 15th.

LPGA: Ally Ewing wins Kroger Queen City Championship

“I was in it,” said Fassi. “I was fighting. I told (my caddie) Gary on the 18th hole, I said, ‘We went down fighting.’ I got outplayed, and all I can do is clap and be happy for them.”

Coming into the week, Fassi had eight missed cuts in 13 starts on the season. Her lone top-30 finish came at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, where she played with partner Stacy Lewis for a second straight year and finished third.

In Cincinnati, with the clock running out on the season, Fassi tried not to make the week any “bigger than it already is.” The former NCAA champion came onto the LPGA shouldering great expectations but hasn’t yet lived up to her vast potential.

“I think there has been a lot of learning strategically,” said Fassi. “Definitely playing Dow with Stacy last couple of years has been huge for me, just to see the way she approaches the game and see what’s the difference and what got her to be No. 1 in the world and what got her to win so many tournaments.

“I think we’re trending in the right direction. I just got to keep doing that, keep doing me, and worry about the rest when it’s time for that.”

Ally Ewing catches fire in final round, wins LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati

It’s Ally Ewing’s third career LPGA victory.

MADEIRA, Ohio ‒ Ally Ewing’s Sunday started with eight straight pars as she watched her 54-hole lead disappear to Xiyu Lin in the final round of the Kroger Queen City Championship at Kenwood Country Club.

But, a little patience paid off for Ewing on Sunday.

“The first eight holes it was just pars,” Ewing said. “I don’t think I missed any greens. I was just kind of two-putting. I hit a couple good putts, but think a big putt for me was that par putt I made on 7. It was a six-footer, but I saw a six-footer go in and was able to get to 9 and roll in an 18-footer down the hill.

“Kind of calmed me down. But I struggled with nerves all day because I just haven’t been able to put this together for a full tournament this year.”

Ewing’s first birdie came at the ninth hole, foreshadowing what was about to happen on the back nine.

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Ewing birdied five holes in a row ‒ Nos. 12-16 ‒ to shoot 31 on the back nine and secure her third career LPGA Tour victory.

Lin made it interesting, though. Trailing Ewing by two shots on the 72nd hole, Lin birdied the difficult par-4 18th, forcing Ewing to get up-and-down from just short of the green to hang on.

Ewing put together four consecutive rounds in the 60s in Cincinnati to finish 22 under, one shot better than Lin, who finished alone in second place.

Over four rounds at Kenwood Country Club, Ewing, the 29-year-old American, made only four bogeys and none on Sunday.

Ally Ewing holds a one-shot lead over Maria Fassi at the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship

It’s a tight leaderboard with 18 holes to play.

MADEIRA, Ohio – American Ally Ewing was welcomed with chants of “Let’s go Ally” as she approached the 18th green on Saturday at Kenwood Country Club as the 54-hole leader of the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship.

Ewing followed up Friday’s 8-under round of 64 with a 5-under 67 on Saturday, turning a two-shot deficit when the day started into a one-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round.

Ewing put together a precise round on Saturday, hitting 13 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens in regulation and had only one bogey on her scorecard.

“My mindset going into today was just to play within myself and go out, execute shots, and I did that really well,” Ewing said. “Unfortunate bogey on 18. It’s a tough hole and didn’t get a ball up and down. Really happy with how I played and how I handled myself and obviously in a good position for tomorrow.”

Kroger Queen City Championship: Leaderboard

The 29-year-old leads the tournament at 16 under. On Sunday, Ewing will be playing for her third career LPGA Tour win.

“There is a ton of golf left,” said Ewing. “I mean, as far as excitement, this is exactly what you want to do, exactly where you want to be after 54 holes.

“I am really excited, but I know tomorrow is going to have its challenges, and I’m going to have to not get ahead of myself. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

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The woman on Ewing’s heels is 24-year-old Maria Fassi, who eagled the par-5 15th on Saturday to get to 15-under, alone in second place thanks to a 5-under round of 67.

On the 15th hole, Fassi said she was trying to reach the green with her second shot.

“The second shot didn’t quite come out as we were expecting,” Fassi said. “We were kind of saying that it was honestly the worst spot I could have left myself for my third shot, and my only thought was just try to hit it as high as you can.

“Of course, the result was extra, but I hit a fantastic golf shot and just very happy that it just went in and I could get some momentum for the last few holes.”

This is Fassi’s best position heading into a final round, still in search of her first career LPGA Tour win.

“I’ve said it with my team and the people around me know that this has been a tough year,” Fassi said. “But the golf was there. The golf has always been there, and it was just ‒ for me to believe that it was there, for me to see that I was actually able to hit the shots that I’m able to hit this week, it’s been a huge reward because I’ve worked harder than ever this last year and a half.

“I haven’t seen the results yet, so I’m super excited to see what tomorrow holds, and keep doing what we’re doing of having a lot of fun on the golf course with Gary. I’m just excited that we get 18 more holes to do it again.”

Xiyu Lin, the first-round leader on Thursday, sits in third place at 14 under, and she’s followed by a group of four women – Megan Khang, Sarah Kemp, Ariya Jutanugarn and Jeongeun Lee6 – at 12 under.

“I have nothing to lose and already have three good days, so I’m just going to keep being positive and keep chasing,” said Lin.

There has already been one 9-under round of 63, two 8-under rounds of 64 and a 7-under round of 65 this week. That leaves the possibility of some fireworks from the leaders on Sunday. Last week, Gaby Lopez won the Dana Open in Toledo by shooting a 63 in the final round.

The LPGA is moving Sunday’s tee times up earlier to try and avoid any potential weather later in the afternoon. The leaders will tee off at 9:42 a.m.

A mother-daughter connection 40 years in the making for Jillian Hollis at the LPGA Queen City Championship

“It all looks so different now.”

MADEIRA, Ohio – Forty years ago, Sharon Hollis was a senior at Bay Village High School, a suburb in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sharon played on the boys’ golf team.

“We didn’t have a girls’ team back then,” she said.

That summer, in 1982, Sharon made the trip to Cincinnati to play in the Ohio Women’s Amateur tournament, which was held at Kenwood Country Club. This week, Sharon’s back at Kenwood for the LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship.

She followed one group for all 18 holes, watching her daughter, Jillian, play the same course that she played 40 years ago.

“I didn’t know that,” Jillian said after her round on Saturday. “It’s pretty special that mom’s played here before.”

Following her daughter, at a course they now have in common, stirred up some old memories.

“I remember being here. I remember the clubhouse. It all looks so different now,” Sharon said.

Golf hasn’t just taken them to the same course four decades apart. It’s taken them on a similar path through life. Sharon played in college at NC State and Ohio State. Jillian played at Georgia, and now she’s on the Epson Tour, the same tour, only a different name, that her mom played on before she met her husband, Mike, and they decided to start their family.

Jillian’s playing at Kenwood Country Club this week as a sponsor’s exemption.

But the real reason she’s playing is that her mom taught her about the game and helped her fall in love with it the same way Sharon fell in love with it.

“She taught me from a young age, and I just fell in love with the game and stuck with it,” said Jillian. “She’s pushed me a little bit but has also given me the space to fall in love with it myself.”

Sharon still plays golf. She teaches it, too. Now, though, she loves watching her daughter play.

“It’s always fun watching her play. I just hang out and stand by the trees,” Sharon laughed. “I love it. I’m just super proud. I’m so happy for her when she plays well, and I feel bad when she doesn’t.”

Jillian’s working on earning her LPGA Tour card through her performance on the Epson Tour.

So, Jillian might be back at Kenwood next year for the second edition of the Queen City Championship.

And if she is, her mom will be here, hanging out by the trees watching her.

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Jeongeun Lee6 tops leaderboard after nine birdes at LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship

Lee6 got it around Kenwood Country Club without making a bogey.

MADEIRA, Ohio ‒ The second round of the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G ended with Jeongeun Lee6 atop the leaderboard at 13-under. Of the 144 golfers that teed off on Friday at Kenwood Country Club, only 76 made it through to tomorrow’s third round.

The 26-year-old’s 9-under career-low 63 was put together with nine birdies and no bogeys.

“It was a good bogey-free round, and it’s been a while since I played a bogey-free day, so I’m really satisfied with my game,” Lee6 said.

Lee6 said she plans to concentrate tomorrow on her downswing and to “focus on the process, not the result.”

China’s Xiyu Lin shot 4 under and currently sits behind Lee6 at 12 under.

American golfer Ally Ewing, 29, finished third on the leaderboard at 11 under after an 8-under round, at one point making six birdies in a row. She ended up with three more birdies and one bogey on 18, bringing her scorecard to 64 after day two at Kenwood.

Ewing said hole 18 is a hard one in general and this week’s rain made it soft, but overall she credits her solid putting streak today for putting her so far ahead. “That’s big for my confidence and just the state of my putting, just seeing some putts go in.” said the Mississippi native. “I’m excited to see a low score. I don’t think I’ve had one of those in a hot minute.”

Italian Maria Fassi made four birdies in a row, six total, and now sits 10 under after round two. She’s tied for fourth with Sarah Kemp.

Americans Megan Khang and Andrea Lee, both 24, are two of five players tied for sixth after day two. Both women have yet to win on the LPGA but are poised to end the weekend on a high note.

Thirty-six-year-old Paula Creamer made it through to the weekend at 2 under. The 10-time LPGA winner and 2010 U.S. Women’s Open champion recently returned from maternity leave and had a hole-in-one during Thursday’s first round.

As for 14-year-old Gianna Clemente, she did not make the cut after finishing 5-over Friday with six bogeys. On Monday, the Warren, Ohio, native qualified for the third week in a row. Despite only playing two rounds, Clemente attracted the attention of several aspiring golfers her age, including 14-year-old Katherina Cosby from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Charlotte Robinson, a Clarksville, Ohio, native and golf newbie.

“When we saw that Gianna was my age, we were so excited,” said Cosby, who has been playing golf since she was age five. “It’s so inspiring to see her out here.”

This is Cincinnati’s first major golf event in decades and first LPGA tournament since 1963. The Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G was secured after its title sponsors signed on last year and Kenwood Country Club stepped up as host.

In a press conference, Ewing praised the conditions of day two at Kenwood, saying that despite the rain earlier in the week, the course felt great. “It’s old school,” she said. “I think there is just a freedom in seeing shots hole by hole and there being no past memory of anything.

“It’s exciting to be at a new course,” she added. “We’ve got some great Cincinnati fans that are showing up and supporting the LPGA.”

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‘A dream start’: Xiyu Lin’s 64 leads LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship after first round

The 26-year-old’s 8-under round was one shot off her career-low of 63.

MADEIRA, Ohio ‒ Nine birdies, one bogey and an opening round 64 for Xiyu Lin were good for the lead on Thursday in the inaugural Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G at Kenwood Country Club.

Lin, who started her tournament on the back nine, birdied five of the first six holes she played to shoot 30 on that side. The 26-year-old’s 8-under round was one shot off her career-low of 63.

“It’s nice to start with three birdies in a row,” Lin said. “The first hole, the approach shot, I mean, the fairway still a little bit wet, so I’m just glad I got the distance right. Then second hole I roll a putt in from outside of the green. And then third hole I knock it close again and make birdie. That was a dream start. You can’t ask for a better start.”

Lin said she could only play nine practice holes at Kenwood because of the weather that hit the course leading up to the tournament, but she walked all 18 holes on Tuesday with her caddie to familiarize herself with the course.

Nasa Hataoka shot a 7-under 65 during the morning wave and stands alone in second place.

Sarah Kemp and A Lim Kin shot 66, tied for third, followed by a group of six golfers tied in fifth with rounds of 67.

Gaby Lopez, who’s coming off a win last weekend in Toledo at the Dana Open, opened with a 4-under round of 68.

Giana Clemente, a 14-year-old amateur who qualified for the tournament on Monday, shot 2-under 70, matching fellow amateur Emma McMyler, a junior at nearby Xavier University.

Americans Jessica Korda and Lexi Thompson struggled on Thursday. Korda was 2 under through 14 and finished with three bogeys in her final four holes to shoot 1 over. Thompson never really got anything going and finished without a birdie and four bogeys to shoot 76.

Paula Creamer had arguably the most interesting round on Thursday. Creamer’s scorecard included every number from one through six. Creamer shot even par and it was far from boring.

She had a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth, eagled the par-4 fifth, and doubled the par-4 16th.

“Goodness, if you look at my scorecard it’s all over the place,” Creamer said during a post-round interview.

When asked about the hole-out for eagle and the ace, Creamer said, “It was 155. It was just a nice little three-quarter 7-iron, and I hit it perfect, like how we wanted. Ended up going in. You know, and then the hole-out on five was 104 yards and hit a 52 just right at it. I think one bounce and went in. I hit my irons really well today. I made a lot of putting mistakes and did some mental errors here and there. Unfortunately, my scorecard is a roller coaster. But that’s golf.”

Thursday was Creamer’s second competitive event in over a year following the birth of her first child in January.

“I haven’t obviously played for a year and my body has changed. Everything has changed. I have a daughter. It’s a little different than coming back from an injury like I have in the past,” Creamer said. “But I’ve worked really hard and I know where my game is at. I’ve been playing well at home, and it’s just competition is just different out here.”

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Nasa Hataoka paces Kroger Queen City Championship, where Paula Creamer has an ace, 14-year-old Gianna Clemente shoots 2 under

The LPGA has returned to Cincinnati for the first time since 1989.

MADEIRA, Ohio – The first round of the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G kicked off Thursday morning at Kenwood Country Club under clear skies.

The battle for the top of the leaderboard was heated, but Nasa Hataoka found herself on top early with a 7-under round of 65 to pace the field. Hataoka is followed by Sarah Kemp and A Lim Kim, both at 6-under. While Hataoka’s scorecard didn’t feature any eagles, she did card eight birdies and only one bogey.

Amateur sensation Gianna Clemente, the 14-year-old who Monday qualified after shooting a 65, shot a bogey-free 2-under 70, good enough to be T-22 alongside fellow amateur and Xavier University golfer Emma McMyler.

Also at 2 under is LPGA pro Jillian Hollis, whose caddie, Luke Brennaman, helped her avoid penalty strokes by identifying she had 15 clubs in the bag before teeing off.

On the opposite end of the leaderboard, Minjee Lee, the top-ranked player on the LPGA, found herself T-138 after carding a 4-over 76. Brooke Henderson, the fifth-ranked player and one of Lee’s playing partners this week, finished with a 1-under 71.

Perhaps the most interesting round of the morning wave came from Paula Creamer, who was grouped with Lee and Henderson. Creamer’s adventure around the Kendale course included a double bogey on the par-4 16th hole, a hole-out eagle at the par-4 fifth hole and a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth hole.

This is the first time the highest level of professional women’s golf has been played in Cincinnati since 1989 when the Jack Nicklaus Golf Center near Kings Island hosted the LPGA Championship.

Built in 1930, Kenwood also hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1963.

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