Out of the Rough: Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G (2025)

With nine events remaining until the CME Group Tour Championship, the LPGA heads to Ohio for this week’s Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G.

This event was founded in 2022 as the first two installments were held at the Kenwood Country Club. Last year’s edition was moved to TPC River’s Bend, which will also play host this week.

This season marks the fourth edition of this event as it holds a $2 million purse.

The Field

Fans are in line for the strongest field that this event has seen in its short life.

Eight-of-the-top-ten and 16-of-the-top-20 players in the world will be teeing it up this week.

That list includes World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, No. 2 Nelly Korda as well as No. 3 and defending champion Lydia Ko.

The field also features Minjee Lee (No. 4,) Miyu Yamashita (No. 6,) Hyo Joo Kim (No. 7,) Mao Saigo (No. 9) and Charley Hull (No. 10.)

Additionally, the field features 11-time LPGA winner Lexi Thompson.

Of the 24 winners on the LPGA this year, 21 of them will be playing this week.

Ko comes in as the defending champion, having ran away with this event a season ago, ultimately winning by five strokes. 

The Course

TRC River’s Bend plays as a Par 72 at 6,875 yards.

It was designed by Arnold Palmer in 2001 and was constructed in a way to blend into the surrounding hillside that overlooks the historic Little Miami River. The venue sits roughly 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati.

The course winds itself through mature hardwoods, whispering creeks, picturesque waterfalls and gentle elevation changes. 

As there is to expect being a Palmer-designed golf course, this course focuses on off-the-tee metrics.

TPC River’s Bend features 40 acres of fairways. To put that into perspective, that is roughly 10 more acres than the average course on the LPGA schedule.

We all know Palmer loved to swing the driver and his designs prove that, especially here at TPC River’s Bend.

Fairways are wide-open off-the-tee and will ultimately reward the longest hitters on Tour.

Water does come into play on six holes this week so there is a bit of defense.

The greens average roughly 6,000 square feet as well.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, the first three days this week have at most, a five-percent chance of precipitation. However, Sunday is calling for a 65-percent chance. Temperatures will begin at 83-degrees for both Thursday and Friday before peaking at 86-degrees on Saturday and falling to 85-degrees come Sunday. Winds will begin at six miles-per-hour on Thursday before falling to five miles-per-hour on Friday and just two miles-per-hour on Saturday. However, winds will pick up to ten miles-per-hour on Sunday.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (SG: TTG)

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Driving (SG: Driving)

• Average driving distance

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Birdie or better Percentage

Betting Card

Charley Hull (+2500)

Hull competed last week at the Aramco Houston Championship on the Ladies European Tour where she finished second. Prior to that she finished second at the AIG Women’s Open and 21st at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open. She is currently 11th on Tour in SG: Driving, 11th in par-five average scoring, 15th in SG: TTG, 18th in birdie-or-better percentage, 20th in average driving distance, 26th in SG: PUTT and 52nd in SG: APP. She played this event a season ago where she placed T19th. 

Somi Lee (+5000)

Lee is currently 12th on Tour in birdie-or-better percentage, 15th in SG: TTG, 17th in par-five average scoring, 18th in SG: APP, 21st in SG: Driving, 52nd in SG: PUTT and 57th in average driving distance. She missed the cut in her latest outing at the FM Championship but placed 15th at the CPKC Women’s Open, 30th at the The Standard Portland Classic, 14th at The Amundi Evian Championship, won the Dow Championship, placed eighth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and third at the Meijer LPGA Classic. She placed T49th at this event a season ago. 

Nanna Madsen Koerstz (+8000)

Koerstz placed 15th in her latest outing at the FM Championship. She missed back-to-back cuts coming into that event at the CPKC Women’s Open and the AIG Women’s Open but placed sixth at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open prior. She is currently sixth on Tour in birdie-or-better percentage, eighth in average driving distance, 15th in SG: Driving, 30th in SG: TTG, 57th in SG: PUTT, 62nd in SG: APP and 88th in par-five average scoring. She placed T9th at this event a season ago. 

Yealimi Noh (+12500)

After a hot start to the 2025 season, Noh has fallen out of form as of late. She’s missed the cut in five-of-her-last-six events. She placed 38th at The Standard Portland Classic in the middle of that stretch of events. Earlier this season she won the Founders Cup, placed 11th at the Honda LPGA Thailand, seventh at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, sixth at the Ford Championship, and fifth at the Mizuho Americas Open. She also placed T9th at this event a season ago. She is currently eighth on Tour in SG: TTG, 19th in SG: APP, 29th in par-five average scoring, 30th in SG: Driving, 37th in birdie-or-better percentage, 47th in average driving distance and 103rd in SG: PUTT.