Tag: Kroger Queen City Championship

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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Local caddie saves the day at Kroger Queen City Championship after spotting 15 clubs in Jillian Hollis’ bag before she teed off

The grandson and son of former Cincinnati Reds broadcasters comes up with a save at LPGA event.

MADEIRA, Ohio — Thanks to her eagle-eyed caddie, former LPGA Rookie of the Year and Epson Tour winner Jillian Hollis avoided a two-stroke penalty Thursday at the Kroger Queen City Championship at Kenwood Country Club.

Hollis’ caddy, Luke Brennaman, grandson of retired Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman and son of former Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman, noticed his player had 15 clubs in her bag – one more than the rules of golf allow – just before she hit her opening tee shot, according to Kenwood’s caddie manager, Dominic Parisi.

“She told him he saved her round,’’ Parisi said, referring to Hollis, an Ohio native.

The younger Brennaman was one 10 caddies at the country club handpicked by Parisi to work this week for tournament players who didn’t bring their own caddies.

Hollis and Brennaman met for the first time during a practice round Wednesday. She got a lot more out of their newfound friendship than she expected.

“I just wanted somebody to kind of walk with me and keep me company,’’ she said before the start of her practice round.

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Annika Sorenstam has paid her dues in golf, now she pays it forward

“I’ve had mentors in my life, people that I’ve looked up to…so this is a way to pay it forward and say thank you.”

MADEIRA, Ohio – “It was cold and raining one day. …. and I was hitting balls on the driving range, but I didn’t want to be there. So I called my dad,” Annika Sorenstam recalled to the crowd. “I said, ‘Can you pick me up?’ and he did. As we drove away, we saw a few other kids hitting some balls and he looked at me and said, ‘You know Annika, there are no shortcuts to success.’ I still remember that to this day.”

As one of the greatest, if not the greatest golfer in the history of the LPGA, Sorenstam has a large reputation, and for good reason. She paved the way in the sport, becoming the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame shortly after that feat, in 2003, and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2021, 13 years after her retirement from competition.

So, what made her come to Cincinnati this week?

Well, her desire to pay it forward.

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The inaugural Kroger Queen City Championship presented by Procter & Gamble is about more than golf. It’s about empowering women to do what they enjoy, what they’re passionate about, to foster relationships and to bring women’s sports to a busy hub like Cincinnati.

A highlight of Wednesday’s pro-am was Kroger and Always teaming up to give away four scholarships to young women of color in the area. Those four women were Caitlyn Morrow, University of Cincinnati; Jessica Williams, University of Dayton; Honesty Lyon, Wilberforce University; and Bryanna Hall, Northern Kentucky University.

There was a fifth recipient, Yugandhara Nalawade of Miami University, who was not in attendance at Wednesday’s award presentation.

The scholarships came as part of Kroger’s new platform, Game Changers.

Kate Meyer, a representative from Kroger, said the tournament itself is just one key pillar in the platform’s foundation. The other two pillars come from the women’s leadership program, which was held on Tuesday, and the scholarship program.

“It’s about the support of you women, here, at the beginning of your leadership careers, working and pursuing degrees in what will be the game changers of tomorrow,” Meyer said.

Sorenstam congratulated the attending winners with a short putting clinic, where she taught them the groundwork to get them started on their golf careers – from tips and tricks on putting stance, to how to grip your club and even how to rotate your body for peak performance (shoulders, not wrists!).

She said she was happy to be a part of this week’s tournament behind the scenes, because she’s always trying to find ways to help out the younger generation of women’s golfers. She knows her journey is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean she can’t share the tools she’s picked up along the way to make it a little easier on them.

“It’s a big role, but I like to approach it in the sense that, I’ve had mentors in my life, people that I’ve looked up to and that I’m thankful for, so this is a way to pay it forward and say thank you,” Sorenstam said. “To inspire others, whether it’s through the game of golf, meeting other women, or talking about their dream, just to inspire them to do something they enjoy is really important to me. Whether it’s with one person, 10 or 100. … (it’s important) to be out there, doing what you say and what you believe in.”

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Lucy Li’s recent LPGA hot streak brings her big-picture goal into focus: 2023 U.S. Solheim Cup team

“An out-of-reach goal is maybe getting into the Solheim Cup next year, if I play well enough.”

Lucy Li only had one practice round last week at the Dana Open and still managed to hold the lead going into Sunday. Li, 19, doesn’t have status on the LPGA, but for a second week in a row, she has parlayed a top-10 performance into another start.

This time at the inaugural Kroger Queen City Championship, Li will tee it up Thursday without having played a single hole at Cincinnati’s Kenwood Country Club. Heavy downpours and lightning closed the course multiple times early week, and Lee was only able to walk it on Tuesday without her clubs.

“It is a very, beautiful, beautiful golf course, very classic,” said Li. “We have the trees and the rough and the bunkers. … not many expectations going in there tomorrow.”

Li’s two summer victories on the Epson Tour wrapped up her LPGA card for 2023. This week marks her fourth consecutive start on the LPGA, dating back to the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland, which she played on a sponsor exemption. She has finished T-27, T-9 and T-4 in her last three LPGA starts.

2022 U.S. Women's Open
Lucy Li plays her tee shot on the 16th hole during the second round of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. (Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

In addition to her play on two separate tours, Li also takes online courses at the University of Pennsylvania. The former prodigy and now Ivy Leaguer who once counted the late Mickey Wright among her mentors, also has a sponsor invite to next week’s AmazingCre Portland Classic.

“My goal after I locked up my card was to try to get as many starts out here as I could,” said Li, “kind of get myself prepared for next year, work on my world ranking.”

While Li can’t earn CME points as a non-member, she can improve her Rolex Rankings position, which helps move her toward another goal.

“Fingers crossed,” said Li, “kind of like long-term … more of an out-of-reach goal is maybe getting into the Solheim Cup next year, if I play well enough.”

Li, who made headlines around the world by qualifying for the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at age 11, can’t begin earning Solheim Cup points until she becomes a member of the tour, but points are doubled starting in 2023. She can also play her way onto the team via the Rolex Rankings.

Back in March, Li ranked as low as 291st in the world, but jumped to 125th after last week’s share of fourth.

At the Dana Open, 2023 Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis told Golfweek that she believes “there’s going to be some opportunities for younger players to get in the mix.” Lewis then rattled off four would-be rookies: Andrea Lee, Allisen Corpuz, Lilia Vu and Li.

“I’d say those four are probably four to watch, I think,” Lewis said.

The top seven players on the points list will be picked to represent the U.S. in Spain next fall. Vu currently ranks seventh in points while Lee is 11th and Corpuz is 14th.

Li, who turns 20 on Oct. 1, competed on the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 2018. She earned 3 ½ points in the American rout.

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ESPN+ will stream featured groups at two LPGA events this month, highlighting full rounds of Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson and Danielle Kang

This marks the first time featured groups at LPGA events are streamed live on any platform.

More LPGA coverage is on its way. ESPN+ will now stream featured groups at this week’s Kroger Queen City Championship and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Both events are presented by P&G.

At the new Kroger Queen City in Cincinnati, 18 of the world’s top 30 players will be featured. This marks the first time featured groups at LPGA events are streamed live on any platform. The ESPN+ feed will deliver the complete rounds of two featured groups in both the morning and afternoon waves of each tournament day.

Thursday’s groups include: (8:36 a.m. ET) Brooke Henderson, Paula Creamer and Minjee Lee; (8:47 a.m.) Leona Maguire, Stacy Lewis, Sei Young Kim; (1:14 p.m.) Ally Ewing, Hannah Green, Andrea Lee; and (1:25) Paula Reto, Sarah Schmelzel, Angela Stanford.

Friday’s featured groups include a whole new slate of players including: (8:36 a.m.) Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Atthaya Thitikul; (8:47 a.m.) Danielle Kang, Jennifer Kupcho, Ashleigh Buhai; (1:14 p.m.) Marina Alex, Alison Lee, Gaby Lopez; (1:25 p.m.) Anna Nordqvist, Mina Harigae, Megan Khang.

ESPN first began televising LPGA golf on Sept. 8, 1979, the network’s second day on air. ESPN regularly aired LPGA events from 1979-2009 but hadn’t covered an event since the 2018 CME Group Tour Championship.

“Partnering with ESPN+ to stream featured groups at these two events is a very important step for the LPGA,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan in a release. “Our goal is always to deliver more content and more engagement opportunities for our current fans and to expose new fans to the skill and personalities of our amazing athletes. ESPN+ is the perfect platform for us to accomplish these goals and for fans to see more great golf.”

Jane Crafter working for Golf Channel during the final round of the LPGA Sybase Classic at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

At the Cincinnati event, Will Haskett will host featured groups coverage alongside analyst and former LPGA player Jane Crafter. Amy Rogers and Hailey Hunter will provide reports and conduct live player interviews.

At the Arkansas stop, Ryan Burr will host the coverage and former LPGA player Gail Graham will fill the analyst role. Rogers and Chantel McCabe will provide reports and interviews.

Full coverage of week’s event will air on Golf Channel Sept. 8-9 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. ET and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekend.

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Gianna Clemente, 14, shoots 65 in Cincinnati to Monday qualify for a third consecutive week on the LPGA

“I definitely didn’t expect a 65, but I got the putter on fire.”

It’s not just that Gianna Clemente has Monday-qualified for an LPGA event a third consecutive week. While that’s certainly impressive enough, consider that she also carded a 7-under 65 at Kenwood Country Club to win by three and earn her spot in the field at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati.

At 14 years old, Clemente becomes the youngest player to ever Monday qualify for three consecutive events. She’s also only the second player to do it, following in the footsteps of South Korea’s Hee-Won Han in 2001. Han went on to win six times on the LPGA.

“I definitely didn’t expect a 65,” said Clemente, “but I got the putter on fire.”

Gianna Clemente watches her tee shot on the fifth hole during the second round of the Dana Open presented by Marathon at Highland Meadows Golf Club on September 02, 2022 in Sylvania, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Monday marked the first time Clemente has qualified on the actual tournament course. Weather kept her from being able to play a practice round at Kenwood, but she did walk 14 of the holes. Her father and caddie, Patrick, walked all 18. Clemente said she didn’t sleep well the night before and chalked it up to life on the road.

Clemente qualified for the CP Women’s Open in late August followed by the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio. She has yet to make the cut. The high school freshman was runner-up in her first U.S. Girls’ Junior appearance earlier this summer.

Anna Davis, 16, winner of the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, is competing this week on a sponsor exemption and saw her friend in the parking lot before she teed off.

“I just told her she’s big-time and to have a good round,” said Davis. “Yeah, but she’s a good friend of mine, and she’s solid. Especially being at that young of an age, I thought I was young, and then she just qualified three times in a row, and I was like, maybe I’m not that young.”

Amateurs must apply for an exemption to participate in LPGA local qualifiers. The Clementes live in Warren, Ohio, and Gianna went to the Dana Open as a kid, mostly following Lexi Thompson.

“I’ve learned that this is definitely what I want to do with my life,” said Clemente, “and this is where I want to belong in the future. I stick out a little bit now because I look young and I am young.”

Clemente said putting is what has held her back of late. Before Monday’s round, she used the metronome app on her cell phone to work on the speed of her stroke. She first began working with putting coach David Angelotti at Sea Island 18 months ago.

“I have a really naturally slow stroke,” said Clemente, “so I do my best to speed it up, and when I speed it up that works.”

Rain closed the course again Tuesday, so Clemente took the opportunity to catch up on her schoolwork. She worked on her world history, English, science and algebra classes prior to taking several calls from the media. She planned to get out her metronome again Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s definitely a lot easier to prepare now, having already seen the course,” said Clemente, “knowing what it looks like and knowing how to play it.”

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LPGA returns to Cincinnati with inaugural 2022 Kroger Queen City Championship

The new event is scheduled for September 2022.

Professional golf is returning to Cincinnati, Ohio in 2022 with the inaugural Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, to be contested at recently renovated Kenwood Country Club.

Scheduled for Sept. 5-11, 2022, this will be the fourth elite tournament hosted at Kenwood following the 1933 U.S. Amateur, the PGA Tour’s 1954 Western Open and the 1963 U.S. Women’s Open.

The purse for the event will be $1.75 million – the LPGA paid out a record $76.45 million in purses for the 2021 season.

“The LPGA is thrilled to return to Cincinnati, or the Queen City as we are fondly referring to it in our tournament name,” LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a press release. “Cincinnati has a long connection to the LPGA and its players. We know this tournament will be a favorite stop on tour and serve as an important example of the power of sports to inspire leaders and build community. We are truly grateful to Kroger and P&G for supporting the LPGA in such an impactful and meaningful way.”

The LPGA last competed in the area in 1989 when Nancy Lopez claimed the LPGA Championship (one of the tour’s five majors, which is now the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship) at the Grizzly Course at the City of Mason Golf Center, formerly the Jack Nicklaus Golf Center at Kings Island.

The Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour, has competed in the region for more than a decade and has hosted its Prasco Charity Championship at TPC River’s Bend since 2018.

Part of the return of the LPGA to the region will include a special opportunity for leadership opportunities for women in the community.

“Building on long-standing commitments to empower diverse women leaders both within their organizations and in the broader community, Kroger, P&G and the LPGA will host a unique opportunity for more than 100 local women to enhance their leadership skills and expand their networks through multiple workshops,” according to the release. “The organizations look forward to bringing these women together to build new connections, access targeted resources, and learn from each other and from inspirational corporate executives and sports icons.”

Ahead of the Queen City Championship, the USGA’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be contested at NCR Country Club from Aug. 25-28, 2022.