• This is the second playing of the Kroger Queen City Championship at Kenwood Country Club
• Kenwood Country Club is a private golf club founded in 1930, with property identifier Donald Ross and original architect Bill Diddel
  • Kenwood Country Club has two 18-hole courses, Kenview and Kendale
  • In addition to the Kroger Queen City Championship, the club has hosted the 1993 U.S. Amateur, 1954 Western Open and the 1963 U.S. Women’s Open.
• Twelve of the 18 different LPGA Tour champions are in the field this week, including major champions Allisen Corpuz and Ruoning Yin, Rolex First-Time Winners Linn Grant, Grace Kim, Alexa Pano, Elizabeth Szokol and Rose Zhang, and the LPGA’s most recent champion, rookie Chanettee Wannasaen
  • Wannasaen was not exempt into the field before her win in Portland last week
• The sole past champion, Ally Ewing, is in the field this week
  • In 2022, Ewing shot a final round 66 to claim her third LPGA Tour victory
  • She set the 54- and 72-hole scoring records last year, while Jeongeun Lee6 set both the 18- and 36-hole scoring records
• Four of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings top-10 are in the field this week; No. 2 Ruoning Yin, No. 7 Lydia Ko, No. 8 Allisen Corpuz and No. 9 Charley Hull
• This is the last event before the 2023 Solheim Cup
  • Twelve 2023 Solheim Cup participants are playing in Cincinnati this week including Jennifer Kupcho, Lexi Thompson, Andrea Lee, Charley Hull, Madelene Sagstrom, Allisen Corpuz, Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight, Linn Grant, Angel Yin, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Rose Zhang
• There are two local players in the field this week, Mia Hammond (a) and Marissa Steen
  • Hammond is an amateur playing out of New Albany, Ohio
    • She made her LPGA Tour debut earlier this season at the Dana Open, finishing in T26 with a total of six-under
    • She received a sponsor invitation for this week’s Kroger Queen City Championship
  • Steen is a West Chester, Ohio native
    • This will be her 14th event of the 2023 LPGA Tour season
    • She is in her ninth season on the LPGA Tour
• The three sponsor invites in the field this week are Paula Creamer, Hammond (a) and Gabriela Ruffels
  • 10-time LPGA Tour champion Creamer is in her 19th season
  • Ruffels is a three-time winner on the Epson Tour this season, claiming victories at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic, Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes and the Four Winds Invitational
    • With her most recent win, Ruffels is the first player on the Epson Tour to secure her LPGA Tour card for the 2024 season
• Faith Kilgore and Wenbo Liu shot rounds of 70 and 71 to in the Monday qualifier to make their way into the field this week
  • Kilgore is a graduate of Colorado Christian University and the University of Texas where she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a graduate certificate in sports communications.
    • She competed in both the 2021 and 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateurs and collected a total of eight collegiate tournament wins
    • She turned professional three weeks ago, and this was her first time Monday qualifying
  • Liu has competed on the Epson Tour this season, making the cut at the Hartford Healthcare Women’s Championship
    • In 2021, she won the 2021 Mitsubshi Heavy Industries Championship, her third CLPGA Tour title

Statistical Leaders

Official Money: Allisen Corpuz, $2,952,832

Scoring Average: Hyo Joo Kim, 69.831

Birdies: Nasa Hataoka, 251

Eagles: Jennifer Kupcho, 12

Holes in One: In Gee Chun, 2

Greens in Regulation: Anna Nordqvist, 74.1%

Average Driving Distance: Polly Mack, 279.050

Award Leaders

Race to CME Globe Update:

The 2023 Race to the CME Globe is quickly coming to a close, with only eight official events remaining during which players can earn points and fight for their spot in the season ending CME Group Tour Championship. The Race continues this week at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, with 500 points on the line for the winner. Three major champions sit atop the leaderboard in the Race, with three-time 2023 Tour winner champion Celine Boutier (2,412.650 points) in front, followed by two-time 2023 winner Ruoning Yin (2,159.870 points) and two-time major champion and three-time season winner Lilia Vu (2,154.718 points), who are separated by just 5.152 points. Yin is the only player of the three in the Kroger Queen City Championship field, giving her a good chance to close the 252.78 point lead held by Boutier. Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim round out the top five in the Race with 1,904.640 points and 1,797.183 points, respectively. Neither are playing in the Kroger Queen City Championship this week.

Notable players on the fringe of the top-60 in the Race are 2023 Solheim Cup participants Andrea Lee (52nd), Gemma Dryburgh (61st) and Madelene Sagstrom (62nd). Some significant players are well outside of the top-60, including last year’s Race to the CME Globe Champion Lydia Ko (93rd) and 11-time LPGA Tour winner Lexi Thompson (162nd).

The Race to the CME Globe is a season-long points competition with LPGA Tour Members accumulating points in every official LPGA event to qualify for the season-ending tournament, the CME Group Tour Championship. The player who wins the CME Group Tour Championship is named the “Race to the CME Globe Champion.” The top 60 points earners and ties earn a spot into the season finale with the entire field competing for a $7 million purse highlighted by a $2 million winner’s check, which ties the largest single prize in the history of women’s golf.

AON Risk Reward Challenge: No. 12, par 5

On this par five with water protecting the green, accuracy with the tee shot is more valuable statistically than extra distance. In 2022, players who hit this fairway gained three-tenths of a stroke over those who missed. Going for the green in two is almost out of the question for players who miss this fairway, as well – less than 2% made the decision to go for it after an errant drive in 2022. Tournament winner Ally Ewing found the fairway in all four rounds last year, gaining 2.5 strokes on the field for the week on the 12th hole alone.

Last season’s Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Atthaya Thitikul  moved to the top of the Aon Risk Reward Challenge leaderboard after her top-10 performance at the Portland Classic. The Thai superstar’s average score under par on Aon Risk Reward Challenge holes is -0.929 this season, just ahead of 2023 LPGA Tour Rookie Hae Ran Ryu with a -0.875 score under par. Ryu has led the Challenge for several weeks this year and still has nine events to retake the lead. In third is Tour sophomore Hye-Jin Choi, followed by People’s Republic of China golfers Ruoning Yin and Xiyu Lin.

CME Group Cares Challenge – Score 1 for St. Jude Update:

The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group donates $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2023, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is leading the way in how the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and life-threatening diseases. There have been 12 holes-in-one this season, bringing the 2023 donation total to $240,000 thus far. There were no holes-in-one recorded at last week’s Portland Classic.

2023 Wins by Country (23 tournaments, 10 countries)

9 – United States (Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Cheyenne Knight, Alexa Pano, Elizabeth Szokol, Lilia Vu (3), Rose Zhang)

3 – France (Celine Boutier (3))

2 – Australia (Hannah Green, Grace Kim)

2 – People’s Republic of China (Ruoning Yin (2))

2 – Republic of Korea (Jin Young Ko (2))

2 – Thailand (Pajaree Anannarukarn, Chanettee Wannasaen)

1 – Canada (Brooke Henderson)

1 – Ireland (Leona Maguire)

1 – South Africa (Ashleigh Buhai)

1 – Sweden (Linn Grant)

2023 Wins by Player (23 tournaments, 18 players)

3 – Celine Boutier (LPGA Drive On Championship, Amundi Evian Championship)

3 – Lilia Vu (Honda LPGA Thailand, The Chevron Championship, AIG Women’s Open)

2 – Jin Young Ko (HSBC Women’s World Championship, Cognizant Founders Cup)

2 – Ruoning Yin (DIO Implant LA Open, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship)

1 – Pajaree Anannarukarn (LPGA Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards)

1 – Ashleigh Buhai (ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer)

1 – Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women’s Open)

1 – Linn Grant (Dana Open)

1 – Hannah Green (JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro)

1 – Brooke Henderson (Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions)

1 – Megan Khang (CPKC Women’s Open)

1 – Cheyenne Knight (Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational)

1 – Grace Kim (LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei)

1 – Leona Maguire (Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give)

1 – Alexa Pano (ISPS Handa World Invitational)

1 – Elizabeth Szokol (Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational)

1 – Chanettee Wannasaen (Portland Classic)

1 – Rose Zhang (Mizuho Americas Open)

Average Age of 2023 Winners: 25.042

Youngest Winner: Alexa Pano (19 years)

Oldest Winner: Ashleigh Buhai (34 years, 1 month)

SOCIAL MEDIA: #DRIVEON

Tournament – @QueenCityLPGA (X, Instagram)

LPGA Tour – @LPGA and @LPGAMedia (X), @lpga_tour (Instagram)

TV/STREAMING TIMES

(all times EDT)

Thursday, September 7

Round 1

4:00-7:00 p.m. – NBC GOLF Channel, Peacock, International

Friday, September 8

Round 2

4:00-7:00 p.m. – NBC GOLF Channel, Peacock, International

Saturday, September 9

Round 3

2:00-5:00 p.m. – NBC GOLF Channel, Peacock, International

Sunday, September 10

Final Round

2:00-5:00 p.m. – NBC GOLF Channel, International

Live Coverage can also be found on Digital:

NBC – NBC Sports App, NBCSports.com, golfchannel.com

COURTESY LPGA TOUR COMMUNICATIONS