LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship – Opening Round Highlights
South Korean golfer Yi-Na Yoon began the tournament in spectacular fashion, sharing the lead after the first round. This same event last year proved difficult for her—she missed the cut. Now, competing at TPC River’s Bend in Cincinnati, Ohio, she’s rewriting that story with a strong 4-under-par 66.
Yoon’s round included six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 7th hole, though she also recorded three bogeys. Despite hitting only five fairways, her 282-yard driving distance and solid putting (26 putts total) kept her in contention. She shares first place with Un-Jeong Choi and Japan’s Rio Takeda.
Jin-Young Ko sits just one stroke back in a tie for 4th place at 3-under 67, alongside Lilia Vu and Amanda Doherty. Lydia Ko posted 2-under 68 to share 7th position with England’s Charley Hull.
The leaderboard remains extremely crowded—21 players are bunched together at 1-under par in a tie for 9th place. This group includes world No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA) and world No. 2 Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand), along with Korean players Kim A-rim, Shin Ji-eun, and Lee Jeong-eun6.
Se-Young Kim and Hae-Ran Yoo finished at 1-over 71, tied for 50th place.
With such a tight field after day one, the competition promises to be fierce through the weekend.