There are a few changes to the Kroger Queen City Championship Presented by P&G this year.
For starters, the event will be hosted at Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati’s Bond Hill neighborhood after two years at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville. There’s also a shift on the calendar. After four years in September, the tournament has been moved up to May 14-17.
The Kroger Queen City Championship is entering the final year of a three-year extension the LPGA announced in August 2024.
The fifth edition of the Kroger Queen City Championship will feature 144 of the world’s best golfers competing for a $2 million purse. Here are some of the top storylines to follow:
Kroger Queen City Championship on third home in five years
The Kroger Queen City Championship spent two years at Kenwood Country Club in Madeira before moving to Maineville.
Now the tournament is at Maketewah, one of Ohio’s premier courses. Built in 1929, Maketewah completed an award-winning renovation by Brian Silva in 2023. The venue is one of the longest-standing U.S. Open qualifying courses but did not host one this year.
Last year, it hosted the Western Golf Association’s Women’s Western Junior Championship.
“Women’s professional golf has a long history in Cincinnati, and we look forward to helping write the next chapter and elevating women’s golf in Cincinnati at Maketewah Country Club,” former Maketewah Country Club President Sarah Sparks Herron said in a statement.
Kroger Queen City Championship has never had a repeat winner
Will there be a back-to-back winner for the first time? It’s yet to be done, which isn’t that surprising for a young tournament that has switched venues.
The best outing by a defending champion came from Ally Ewing, who won the inaugural Kroger Queen City Championship in 2022. The next year, she finished fourth. Minjee Lee, the 2023 champion, tied for 27th the following year.
Last year, reigning champion Lydia Ko finished tied for 14th.
Just eight months after winning the Kroger Queen City Championship in dramatic fashion, Charley Hull will look to defend her crown at Maketewah. Hull has played well in both Kroger Queen City Championship venues, losing in a playoff to Lee in 2023.
This season, Hull has a pair of top 10 finishes in six events but is coming off a missed cut at the Mizuho Americas Open after hitting just 20 of 36 greens in regulation.
Will World No. 1 Nelly Korda break through in Cincinnati?
Nelly Korda has returned to the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings, surpassing Jeeno Thitikul, the runner-up in last year’s Kroger Queen City Championship.
Korda is coming off her third major championship after a five-shot, wire-to-wire win in The Chevron Championship at Memorial Park on April 26.
After going winless in 2025, Korda has already claimed three titles in six starts this season. She followed the Chevron Championship with a win in the Riviera Maya Open on May 3 for her 18th career LPGA Tour title. She also opened the year by winning the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament on Feb. 1.
Korda, who was runner-up in her three other starts this season, will try to win in Cincinnati for the first time. She didn’t play in Kenwood, then logged top 5 finishes in each of the last two years at TPC River’s Bend.
Local products in the field include Xavier Musketeers past, present
Maketewah is the home course for Xavier men’s and women’s golf. One current and one former Musketeer will be in this year’s Kroger Queen City Championship field.
Emma McMyler, the three-time Big East Player of the Year while at Xavier, is a rookie on the LPGA tour. She’s made three cuts in five starts so far in 2026. McMyler made her LPGA debut at the Kroger Queen City Championship while at Xavier in 2022 on a sponsor exemption.
Xavier senior Madison Reemsnyder received a sponsor exemption to this year’s field. In April, she helped lead Xavier to its seventh consecutive Big East title by winning medalist honors for the second straight year.
Xavier women’s golf will play in the NCAA Louisville Regional at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, May 11-13.
Kroger Queen City Championship field includes several former LPGA winners
The Kroger Queen City Championship’s field currently features seven of the LPGA’s top 10 golfers and 16 of the top 20. There are 24 major champions, four winners from this season and seven players who have been ranked No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings.
On April 29, the tournament announced commitments from Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist and Rose Zhang. Thompson has won 11 times on the LPGA Tour, including one major. In February, Nordqvist, a three-time major champion, was named the captain of the European team for the Solheim Cup, which will be held in the Netherlands in September.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Storylines to follow at LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship
Reporting by Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
