Charley Hull (-20) was convinced she had lost the Kroger Queen City Championship after making a bogey on the 17th. This slip allowed Jeeno Thitikul (-19), World Number One, to head into the tournament’s final hole as the sole leader with a one-shot advantage. She was even more certain when the Thai player reached the green of this par 5 at TPC River’s Bend in Hamilton Township, Ohio, in two shots. “Only an eagle will do to finally stop being the Bridesmaid and become the bride,” she thought, referring to the number of times she has been second in recent years.
Then, the unexpected happened. Thitikul left her eagle putt a metre and a half from the hole. She missed the birdie putt and missed the par from less than a metre. Four putts on the final green. Meanwhile, Hull had a birdie putt of just over a metre to win the tournament. That’s when she truly realised. That’s when she started to shake. “I got very nervous. Until that moment, I hadn’t realised I could win the tournament. I didn’t expect it,” she admitted.
An absolutely dramatic and unexpected outcome that has become Hull’s third victory on the LPGA Tour, the first since 2022. It is also her first win of 2025. In this regard, the American circuit continues with a historic streak. No player has managed to win twice this year on the circuit. There have been 24 tournaments and 25 different winners, as one of the events is played in pairs. Today, Thitikul had the chance to end this incredible sequence, but it wasn’t to be. Nothing like this had ever happened before on the LPGA Tour.
The other major protagonist of the tournament has been Lottie Woad (-18). The young English player, a newly minted professional, has once again shown her fantastic potential. She finished in third place on her own and has secured her presence in the end-of-season Asian swing, reserved only for the best in the Race to CME Globe. Woad finished with a round of 66, the third-best of the day, and has moved up to 32nd in the rankings, having played only five tournaments.
The Spanish player Julia López (-8) has also secured the Asian swing. The player from Málaga did not have a good end to the tournament. She shot 75 and lost many positions on the leaderboard. She started Sunday with the top 10 within reach and finished in 38th place. After nine consecutive pars, she had a +4 stretch between holes 10 and 12. At least, she managed to respond brilliantly with two birdies on holes 15 and 16 to finish. Julia is 61st in the Race to CME Globe, while Carlota Ciganda is 25th and Azahara Muñoz is 104th. Aza has two tournaments ahead to improve her situation and, beyond maintaining her card, qualify for the lucrative Asian swing.
